DECEMBER 8 — What has been brought to our attention thus far about the recent raid on a men’s wellness centre in Kuala Lumpur, is, to say the least, disturbing.
The raid on the centre, which the authorities considered a gay sex spot, resulted in 208 people being detained, 24 of whom came from South Korea, Indonesia, Germany and China. Among the Malaysians caught, 17 were civil servants.
It is disturbing, for one thing, because the operation, supposedly aimed at smashing “immoral activities”, was carried out with the presence of media personnel and with videos taken.
The wellness centre couldn’t have been made more “public” as a result of this raid, which was conducted on a public tip-off.
A video that had found its way into the internet bared the identities of the patrons, many of whom were just in their towels.
Without privy to the context, the curious public might have perceived all the men in the video as people who were caught with their pants down, so to speak.
This raid, which had caused deep concern among segments in our society, had already made headlines abroad, in countries such as South Korea, Indonesia, Germany and China. A public spectacle offered beyond borders.
To be sure, the men in towels were in full public glare, exposed to public suspicion and even derision, while their dignity was shredded – in a raid that resulted with no one being charged or convicted.
According to media reports, those detained were generally treated in a way that robbed them of their constitutional rights and human dignity.
This lends credence to the suspicion that a social group perceived to be living outside of society’s norms is likely to be subjected to a treatment that is bereft of compassion, prudence and humanity.
Certain individuals, who approached the media, claimed that they went to the wellness centre only to have a regular gym workout and sauna or to get a breather away from the city’s traffic jams in the evening rush hour.
And now, they are being haunted by fears of public shame, of uncertain employment prospects, of broken relationships, of strained family ties and of ostracism. That’s punitive enough for people who did no wrong.
These are not the usual type who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Not the ones caught for stealing public funds by the millions, adversely impacting on national development projects for the socio-economic upliftment of the ordinary people.
If “moral policing” is considered necessary by the authorities, then they should train their eyes particularly on the corrupt who fray the moral fibre of our society.
A question that begs to be asked from this episode is, does one get to occupy a higher moral ground by sheer shaming of others?
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
