Distorters of truth

Let me start with a story:

Once upon a time, there was this scholar hired by a rich man to be his family teacher.

In order to retain his job, the scholar tried all means to please his boss.

One day, an idea suddenly struck the rich man's mind. He wanted to know the progress his child had made in study, so he came to the class and posed a couplet question: "Umbrella."

The child was cracking his head but could not come up with a right answer. Suddenly, he saw a crab crawling at the corner of the room and mutterd, "Crab."

The rich man was stunned. Standing on one side, the scholar bursted out, "Excellent!"

Perplexed, the rich man asked, "How on earth could an umbrella match with a crab?"

The scholar explained, "The umbrella stands upright, and the crab walks sideways. Aren't 'upright' and 'sideways' perfect match?"

The scholar was not really knowledgeable, but he excelled in making up stories and "turning things sideways."

This reminds me of how some of the Malay newspapers have interpreted the tragic death of Teoh Beng Hock in recent days.

The NSTP group managing editor Zainul Ariffin Mohammed Isa lashed out at the criticisms aimed at the MACC in Berita Harian.

He said, "The accusation against MACC by non-Malays is a blatant act of challenging a Malay institution."

As for the criticisms against MACC by Selangor menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, he questioned, "Why as a Malay should Khalid question the capability of people his own race?"

Oh Lord! The death of a young man could be twisted this way into a racial thing! And a national organ could be depicted as an institution of one specific ethnic group!

I'm really puzzled how someone with this kind of brain and conscience could be offered such an important post.

Utusan Malaysia is not to be outdone as well. The newspaper objected to the forming of a royal commission to probe Teoh's death, saying it was unnecessary.

It cited an example. There was a Malay undergraduate falling to his death from the hostel, and no one said anything. But Teoh's incident has incited such widespread protest among the public simply because he was not a Malay.

Oh my God! How could anyone compare a student falling from the hostel with a young man under investigation falling from the building housing the MACC office?

Utusan senior editor Zaini Hassan (the same guy who accused Teresa Kok of banning the use of speakers at mosques, resulting in the latter's detention under ISA), meanwhile, said when Beng Hock was under investigation, and his notebook was being switched on, he appeared to be "grossly uneasy."

Good Heavens! Even such details could be observed by Encik Zaini. Was he standing by Beng Hock's side when the MACC people stormed in? Such an important clue and witness must be summoned by the police to facilitate the investigation!

Otherwise, he could be the person "making wild guesses whom the police will deal with under the appropriate law," as in the words of IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

Of course, Zaini's motive has been to smear the reputation of Teoh Beng Hock.

But then why should anyone make such malicious accusations against a dead person unable to open his mouth and defend?

Perhaps, that is the mentality of the scholar in the story, but ten thousand times more destructive! (By TAY TIAM YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)