Ahmad Fathanah, a suspect in the meat import case, has been giving away money to women. This could be a way of laundering the proceeds of corruption.

The emergence of several women behind the beef corruption case seems to prove the old Javanese philosophy about the dangers of wealth, power and women. All three are closely linked in the case involving former Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq and Ahmad Fathanah. Since the case came to light at the end of January, it has been discovered that at least four women apart from his wives have benefited from Fathanah's generosity. They are Maharani Suciono, movie star Ayu Azhari, model Vitalia Shesya and dangdut (Hindi-tinged Indonesian pop music) singer Tri Kurnia Puspitasari.

The types of goods and the sums of money that Fathanah gave to these women were astonishing. There were cars, luxury wristwatches, jewelry and hundreds of millions of rupiah in cash. He had tens of billions of rupiah in the bank and led a life of luxury. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has seized four of his cars, worth Rp4.3 billion.

We welcome the end of cruelty towards 34 saucepan factory workers in Tangerang, Banten, with relief and continued caution. This caution is important so people do not readily forget uncovering such crime has only just begun. The police must not stop with the confinement of saucepan and pot workers, or with the economic reasons put forward by the responsible people: a desire to make big profits at minimum cost.

It is easy to refute this argument. How can workers be productive if they are ill-treated, denied food, not paid and even forbidden to breathe fresh air? There are several violations in this case that need investigating, from the motives behind the forced labor to the possible protection given by the authorities, some of whom are suspected of human trafficking. The police and manpower officials need to look into the facts like the actions of brokers recruiting workers from their villages.

MAY 15 – One of the most fascinating things about living in Kuala Lumpur (at least, for a nerdy aspiring sociologist like me) is being able to witness firsthand the disjunctures between Malaysian political rhetoric and the realities of everyday life on the ground.

It does not take long to realize that, while the Malaysian state has attempted to market itself as a harmonious multiethnic democracy, it is anything but. I am not just referring to the historical and deep-seated racial inequalities that persist between the country’s dominant Malay, Chinese, and Indian groups.

MAY 15 – Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s choices for his new Cabinet named today appear dictated by elections – the Umno polls later this year and concern that Sabah and Sarawak will not tolerate any more snubbing in the government.

Including both minister and deputy minister posts, the prime minister rewarded Umno with 18 posts (including the party’s lawmakers in Sabah) and also gave East Malaysia 13 posts.