The Rape Of Democracy

Daming Sunusi, an Indonesian High Court judge running for a Supreme Court position, was quoted by Kompass in January 2013 saying, "The one raped and the rapist both enjoy it, so [we would] need to think about the death sentence." Sunusi had to apologise for inferring that rapists should evade capital punishment because victims enjoyed the act.

One who took offence at the tasteless quip was Commission for Child Protection chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait, ""It is disturbing that a judge, whose role is to protect the legal rights of women and children, could say something so audacious and consider it as a joke. He should be sacked."

Zainudin Nordin, MP of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, was not in a jocular frame of mind when posting on his Facebook account American writer Terry Goodkind's take on a system of government, “Gang rape, after all, is democracy in action.” Short of blaming it some mysterious administrator who might have made the post, Zainudin claims his intent was to present his view that "each decision comes with tremendous responsibilities."

Yet when queried whether he was the author of the email threat to take legal action against a netizen for highlighting his endorsement of Terry Goodkind, Zainudin would not confirm in the affirmative. Hey, even Spiderman fans know the line, "With great powers come great responsibility."

If Zainudin chooses to shirk his responsibility with the Denise He defence, it implies his powers may be just as vaporous. If he had real power, he would be able to get away with words like this:

"Repression, Sir, is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love - it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they're conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict."

Zainudin embarrassed himself by aligning with the wrong camp, like when Bernie Ecclestone managed to compliment Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and offend black people all in the same interview, saying how he "would love to have a good lady race driver and preferably black and Jewish too, but they might take maternity leave."

Stephen Pollard, Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, responded to the insinuation on women and religion: "Mr Ecclestone is either an idiot or morally repulsive." Ditto Zainudin Nordin.