About thick-skinned politics
"Bollywood is full of rapists... some get caught. Others screw themselves.’’ Who said that? Never mind. Crudely put... but broadly speaking, i agree. I was the editor of India’s raciest film magazines for 11 long years. You can say, i’ve had a ringside view of the goings on.
Showbiz is a strange destination. It’s a planet in itself. Those who occupy it, create their own rules. Hollywood is full of rapists, too. Again, some are stupid enough to be caught with their pants down. But out there, those chaps go to jail and stay there, serving out their sentence. The Shiney Ahuja case would have been just another sorry episode had it not been for the victim’s age and social position. Plus, the fact that she chose to go to the cops. Most actors believe it is their birthright to get sexual favours from whosoever catches their fancy. They aren’t terribly discriminating either. If they can’t bed their co-star, they happily settle for her sister, friend, cousin, aunt... even mother. If even those options are shut, they look a little further — at the ‘extras’.
Most of the junior artistes don’t object — in fact they consider it an ‘honour’ to be picked by the big guy. Those who do, are chased out of tinsel town for being ‘unco-operative.’ If only spot-boys (lackeys of stars) could open their mouths, what stories they’d have to tell.
Shiney allegedly attacking his young maid, is not news. Shiney’s wife deciding to stand by her man and declare her undying love for the guy, is. As of now, she is doing a pretty convincing job of defending her husband, claiming he has been framed, and more amusingly, that it is he who may have been raped.
The person one feels sorriest for is Shiney’s father, an ex-services man. Wicked smses are doing the rounds. Once a case is deemed sms-worthy, you know the case has hit bull’s eye — till something juicier happens. My sympathies are with Anupam, the fiery wife who has had to round up neighbours and ‘friends’ for character certificates while facing a hostile media mocking her every utterance.
That she hasn’t cracked under pressure so far, is no small miracle. It can’t be easy for a woman to deal with such a disgraceful chapter in her marriage. Assuming she genuinely believes Shiney is innocent, and it turns out that way, Anupam will be the biggest hero. But what if she discovers the horrible truth that her husband was a beast who ravaged an innocent domestic? How will Anupam live with that?
Discussing the Shiney case with a powerful film producer, i nearly fell off my chair when he said he was ready to sign Shiney for his next film on the spot! Reason? Shiney Ahuja has become a household name in India, and everybody will now be keener than ever to see him on screen. He pointed out how Hugh Grant became a super hero after he was caught with a prostitute in Los Angeles.
‘‘Audiences love Bad Boys. The worse a man behaves, the more his box office value goes up,’’ he said smiling devilishly. To further his argument, he added, ‘‘Don’t believe me? Here, talk to my driver. Even he thinks i should sign Shiney for my next film.’’ Sounds rotten, right? Cold blooded, devious and manipulative? But that’s how the cookie crumbles in Bollywood. Look no further than Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan.
If the producer’s gut feeling is right, one can cynically look at Shiney’s crime as a shrewd career move. He was never an A-lister, but after this, he may get a promotion! Audiences can be so perverse sometimes. Notoriety has its spin offs in this vast palace of illusions. Here we are wasting time and energy taking sides, feeling sorry for Shiney, sorry for the maid, sorry for the wife, sorry for the daughter, sorry for the father.
When we should actually be feeling pretty sorry for our own foolish selves. Shiney may get shinier. Anupam, richer, and the maid will definitely receive lucrative offers to sell her story (if Rubina, the Slumdog Princess is penning her autobiography, why not a star’s rape victim?). What’s the bet Madhur Bhandarkar/Mahesh Bhatt are feverishly working on the script of their next film titled — what else — ‘Maid in India’ starring all the characters playing themselves?
READ THIS MY NAME IS RAISE SON OF YATIM 1MALAYSIA CONCEPT SUCH POLITICAL IDEOLOGY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED OR ENCOURAGED IS WASTE OF TAXPAYER MONEY
A SERIAL sex attacker subjected one of his victims to a horrific ordeal after chillingly informing her: 'I am not here to rob you. I am just the rapist', a court heard yesterday.
Lee Hill was given three life sentences for raping a woman of 32 five months after being freed from prison for an identical offence.
In a moving statement, the woman told the Old Bailey how her life had been destroyed by the attack, which took place while her two-year-old daughter slept in the next room and her husband was in hospital suffering from pneumonia.
Previously a 'very happy, confident and secure person', she now suffers panic attacks, cannot stop herself from vomiting, has been forced to move home, is afraid to go out alone and allows no visitors without prior appointment.
She said: 'This man has violated my life in every way. He has violated my body, my mind, my marriage, my family and friendships, my personal security and my home.
'These are the very foundations of any person and I no longer understand who I am. It is like grieving for a loved one who has died, but it is me who has died inside.' On November 26 last year Hill, 25, broke in through the living room French windows of his victim's home in Esher, Surrey.
He had been released early from Exeter Prison in June after serving part of a nine-year sentence for rape imposed in December 1994.
His release came despite the fact that while on home leave from jail he had attacked a policeman.
Hill confronted his victim at 9.20pm as she sat on the bed preparing menus for her husband, who needed a special diet.
He was due out of hospital the following day and a 'welcome home' banner hung on the stairs, said Mr Ian Paton prosecuting.
He slashed at her and cut her hands with a penknife as she tried to fend him off. She told him: 'Just take anything. It is OK.' But he announced: 'I am not here to rob you. I am just the rapist.' Then, with what the prosecution described as 'chilling calculation', he inflicted a series of horrific sexual assaults.
When the terrified woman screamed in pain, he told her to shut up and claimed 'you like it'.
During a sustained ordeal, he carved a cross on her inner thighs.
As he left, Hill threatened that he would kill the woman and her husband if she went to the police.
Two weeks later, Hill broke into the home of a 42-year-old multiple sclerosis sufferer, who isbedridden. He forced her to hand over [pounds sterling]140 and, before leaving, taunted: 'I could have sex with you.' Hill of Walton on Thames, Surrey pleaded guilty to two charges of rape, indecent assault, aggravated burglary and burglary.
He was given life terms for the rapes and the aggravated burglary, all involving the 32-year-old victim.
The prosecution said police were prepared to leave a further charge of aggravated burglary - relating to a third victim - to lie on the court file as he already faced life sentences.
Sentencing Hill, who had a string of previous offences dating back to when he was 15, Judge Valerie Pearlman said: 'You broke into a house knowing the victim was alone with her children. You subjected her to a prolonged and vicious sex assault.
'In my judgment, the attack was deliberate, sadistic, vicious and violent.
It is quite clear from the impact statement that the attack has had a devastating and lasting effect on this lady and her family. You are very dangerous to women, with a great potential for harm.' The defendant refused to allow any mitigation to be heard on his behalf.
As he was led to the cells a woman shouted from the public gallery, 'I love you' and he winked back at her.
Norman Brennan, director of the Victims of Crime Trust, last night condemned Hill's early release from prison.
He said: 'It is blatantly clear that this man is a danger to women and society, yet time and time again the sentence appears not to have fitted the crime.
'After serving just a short period of imprisonment, he has been released and gone on to commit further crimes.' In 1994, Hill broke into the detached home of a 54-year-old divorcee in Woking, Surrey. Armed with a set of hedge trimmers. He warned that he would kill her if she resisted, then raped her and stole cash.
His victim, who is still attempting to come to terms with what happened to her, said: 'I was told that there was no way I needed to worry, that the last thing he would do would be rape again or that he would come after me.
'I feel very sorry for this lady. I still have nightmares and there's never a day that goes by when I don't think about it.'
This rape allegation involving a senior minister will not rest. And true to fashion, our government has maintained a stupefying silence. When Wikileaks revealed Malaysia was run by incompetent politicians or that Opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim was led into a trap and that Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s reputation was sullied by ‘that’ murder, what did our government do? It discredited Anwar further, and simply ignored the bits about Najib. It did not deny those incriminating revelations nor did it attempt to defend its leader.
This time round, cyberspace is full of stories that a Malaysian minister allegedly raped his Indonesian maid.
According to the WikiLeaks disclosure, the rape happened during former Prime minister’s Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s tenure. Abdullah decided to keep the matter under wraps because he was worried that the issue could affect Malaysia's relationship with Indonesia. The deputy Prime minister then, Najib Abdul Razak was supposedly also aware of the rape allegation.
Najib has to get to grips with himself and sort out this mess before it spirals out of control. At the moment it appears that Najib is in charge of a Cabinet that is looking more and more like Ali Baba and the forty thieves, except interspersed in the gang are rapists and sexual deviants.
Already, Najib has been severely criticised for his poor judgement call to appoint Mohd Isa Abdul Samad to be the chairman of FELDA. Now, his dithering will only add credence to the claims that Najib is incapable of selecting people to run the various departments and institutions.
At stake is his political future and also that of his government if he were to maintain what he may think is a dignified silence.
Najib must come clean to protect his cabinet as well as to preserve his own integrity and capability by “outing” this minister who has been allegedly accused of rape.
He must refrain from making any more deals to buy anybody’s silence or even to instigate more whitewashes and cover-ups.
What is one ageing minister who is a liability and might cost him an election victory? Surely Najib can weigh up the pros and cons and know that it is important he protects the reputation of his Cabinet and also that of Umno/BN.
A desperate man (the alleged rapist) might do more harm and if left in the Cabinet might feel threatened and drag down members of the Cabinet, if not bring the whole government down.
If Najib did the right thing and let the police do their good work, several things will happen as a result. His reputation is enhanced. His cabinet knows who is boss and they too will get a boost from being seen as ‘clean’. Diplomatic relations with Indonesia are repaired. The people will have greater faith in Najib’s administration. Najib’s international reputation is restored. The women of both Malaysian and Indonesia will see him as a sort of hero. Lawmakers will feel confident that he is interested in justice for the common man
Has Najib the courage to make this decision and ‘out’ his one time cabinet colleague? Sadly, Najib does not have the luxury of time.
As a writer, I meet scores of fascinating people -- some famous, mostly regular folks who have done extraordinary things. All are memorable, but few have taken up residence in my brain like 15-year-old Lizette* whom I met two years ago.
The timing of our meeting was not optimal for her. The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) had recently placed the teen and her new-born, Jason,* into a group home. Lizette was angry. Very angry. And distrustful of everyone -- even other girls. And no one was allowed to touch Jason.
"I told DFCS to leave me alone," she said angrily. "Jason and me were doing just fine." I gently reminded her that she had been living alone in an empty apartment with no furniture, no electricity and no food in the cupboard. How could she feed herself to stay healthy and nurse her baby?
"They wanted to take my baby away from me and put him in a different foster home," she said loudly. "My mother ran out on my brothers and sisters. There was no way I was going to run out on my baby."
DFCS gave her one other option: She could keep Jason with her if she agreed to live in one of 12 Second Chance Homes managed by the Georgia Coalition Advocating Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP), the brainchild of its founder, actor Jane Fonda.
The transition proved harder than she imagined. After skipping more school than she attended and living without supervision, Lizette wasn't accustomed to rules. There were mandatory curfews, assigned chores, school attendance, a part-time job, plus caring for Jason. She gave her house mothers considerable grief. They answered with patience and a large dose of psychological counseling and tutoring.
When I returned two years later for a follow-up story on G-CAPP, I barely recognized Lizette. Gone was the angry snarl, the attitude and the underlying fear. Rhinestones sparkled on the rear pockets of her jeans and the word "Princess" was written in gold letters across her black t-shirt. She stood regally, obviously proud to share her successes with me. Best of all, she was holding a healthy, happy 2-year-old. When Jason's chubby arms reached towards me -- and she let me take him -- I melted.
"I'll graduate from high school this year, and I signed myself back into DFCS custody so I can go to a technical school," she said excitedly. "Will you come to my graduation?"
Lizette is only one of GCAPP's success stories. More than 350 teens and their babies have been given a second chance since 1994 when Fonda declared war on Georgia's teen pregnancy epidemic. Her calls to action were a United Nations Conference on Population and Development and a visit to the North Georgia mountains where she saw poverty at its worst.
"The problem with 'just say no,' isn't the 'no.' It's the 'just,' says Fonda, who despite her move to Hollywood remains hands-on with the organization headed by executive director Michele Ozumba.
Teen pregnancy is not a simple issue, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared it a winnable battle. They've just awarded G-CAPP a $7.5 million grant over five years to implement a community-wide initiative in Augusta (Richmond County) which has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state.
Ozumba expects the expanded initiative aimed at reaching 16,000 teens before they get pregnant will produce significant results in both human and economic terms. "Teen pregnancy costs Georgia taxpayers $344 million a year," she says. "Less than one percent of the girls in our program have second babies and 100 percent remain in school. That significantly reduces the chances of their future dependency on government programs and food stamps."
Far from just a one-state issue, teen pregnancy is a significant problem throughout the U.S. G-CAPP offers a cost-effective solution.
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