Media Statement by Tony Pua in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 3^rd June 2009:

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin must be reprimanded for claiming domestic violence against women as “a personal matter”

The Indonesian and international press have been giving extensive coverage on the teenage US-Indonesian model Manohara Odelia Pinot, who has returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of a Malaysian prince, after her dramatic escape with the help of Singapore police.

Manohara has claimed that "daily routine" of rape, abuse, torture and occasional drug injections that made her vomit blood. She has even alleged that some parts of her body were cut by a razor.

Her mother, Daisy Fajarina also blamed the Malaysian and Indonesian governments for trying to cover up the alleged abuse and alleged that the Malaysian government had ignored her pleas for access to her daughter and had blocked her from entering the country.

All of the above are extremely serious allegations, regardless of whether they were made by a local or a foreigner. However, we are even more shocked by the remarks given by our Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when AFP reported that:

The Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government would not investigate the allegations.

"I think this is more of a personal matter. To date we have not been dragged into it, so we want to leave it as it is," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

The Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Senator Datuk Shahrizat Abdul Jalil or her deputy, Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun must immediately reprimand the Deputy Prime Minister for such an irresponsible and callous statement on the issue of domestic violence. While the truth of the matter has yet to be ascertained, the allegations of serious domestic violence must be investigated or Malaysia will be regarded as an international pariah for treating domestic violence as “a personal matter”.

Datuk Shahrizat must inform Tan Sri Muhyiddin that domestic violence is a criminal offence under the Domestic Violence Act 521 (1994). Domestic violence includes causing physical injury to the victim by such an act that is known, or ought to have been known would result in physical injury. In addition, compelling the survivor by force or threat to engage in any conduct or act, sexual or otherwise, from which the survivor has a right to abstain is also criminal under Malaysian laws. Those found guilty of domestic violence are to be sentenced in accordance to our Penal code.

To redeem our international reputation, Tan Sri Muhyiddin must immediately apologise and withdraw the remarks he has made, and instead, ensure that a thorough independent investigation on the veracity of the allegations to ensure that Malaysia's international image does not suffer from this ugly episode.

While no police reports have yet been made on the matter, that is not an impediment for the Malaysian police to commence investigations as the allegations have appeared around the world or they could file their own police reports on the matter, as they have done in many recent police investigations.

In addition, Datuk Shahrizat must take this critical opportunity to educate our Barisan Nasional Ministers on issues of domestic violence and crime against women to ensure that such contemptible statements tarnishing Malaysia's reputation are never ever issued again, especially by the country's top leaders.

* Tony Pua Kiam Wee, DAP National Publicity Secretary & MP for Petaling Jaya Utara