Remember how Raja Bahrin conducted a dramatic retrieval of his children from Australia, and ended up as a criminal downunder. I blogged on that in The Betty Mahmoody of Malaysia!, which tells how 14 years later, daughter Shahirah flew down to Melbourne to be reunited with her mother, Jacqueline Pascarl, to everyone’s delight.
I also gave credit to Raja Bahrin for bringing his kids up well without poisoning their minds against their mother and, after a decade plus, allowing them to still love and be re-united with Mum.
But a couple of months after I posted that, I was lambasted for comparing Raja Bahrin with Betty Mahoud. That episode was covered in Shahirah Raja Bahrin Revisited.
In retrospect I must confess I had been wrong, to compare a man who didn’t poison his children against their mother nor stop them from visiting her years later after they have grown up, to a woman who demonised her husband, it was said by American press, for the sake of popularising her books.
Certainly Raja Bahrin is a zillion miles far superior.
Then recently, the son, Raja Mohamad Baharuddin (Iddin), was also reunited with his mum, which I posted in Reunion after 14 years.
But sadly, the Aussie press wanted to make hay over that reunion as a ‘triumph’ of western values influencing the children, Iddin and Sharidah, breaking free of a ‘draconian Muslim’ father.
That pissed off Raja Bahrin, who had just broken his silence on the recent visits of his children to Australia. He held a press conference to counter the 'mean agenda of the foreign media' which had sensationalised his children's visit to Australia to see their mother.
He wanted the local media to report a 'fair and accurate account of what had happened' without being influenced by the foreign media.
He said: “I hope this is my last press conference, to correct all the speculation and provocation by the Australian media on my children's visit to Australia. After 14 years, I am really tired.”
Raja Bahrin revealed that late last year, his daughter Shahirah had problems concentrating on her studies and wanted to change her course. He allowed her to seek advice from her university counsellors.
“When her situation remained the same, Shahirah said she wanted to rest in Australia and visit her mother. I agreed but said she could do so during her semester break.”
He said the media played up her visit to see her mother, Jacqueline Pascarl, even claiming that Shahirah would remain in Australia permanently. However, Shahirah returned on April 28 as promised.
Raja Bahrin said that Shahirah’s stress and worry, apart from an accident in Singapore, that had influenced her decision to return to stay with her mum a second time was because a lecturer at her university was trying to seduce her.
He did not intend to confront the lecturer but wanted to report the matter to the university. However, when the Aussie media sensationalised the visits of Shahirah and her brother to Australia, Raja Bahrin said he decided to reveal the story.
F**k! Who’s that scumbag who has the nerve to try to seduce sweet Shahirah ?
It's an overblown story, Bahrin's version of events doesn't quite match up with Sha's. While the lecturer did make an advance, it was very innocent and at no time was it anywhere near the level described by Raja Bahrin.
ReplyDeleteI spoke to Sha the night that she found out the story broke, while she was in Australia. She was horrified at how her father had played it out for the media, and while at my house she recieved a call from a University colleague who was extremely disappointed that Bahrin's story mislaid the facts and initially blamed Sha until finding out that she had never wanted the events to be public, or sensationalised.
Sha even went as far as contacting the university and writing an official version of the events to ensure the lecturer wouldn't lose his job.
That's the truth, from Shahirah's own mouth, mind and heart, related by her to myself.
KTemoc, it's amazing how you buy all stories from Bahrin and try to sell them to your readers.
ReplyDeleteI hear it all from people but who aren't the two youngsters themselves. Whay else can I say.
ReplyDeleteIf you never hear from the horses' mouth, keep you mouth shut then. If you have nothing good to say, don't say.
ReplyDeletewhat do you mean 'nothing good'? haven't I said good things about the father? wakakaka
Deletebesides, you took my SARCASM above at face value. You must be naive or blinded completely with prejudice. Maybe I ought to spell it out more clearly that, do/did you expect me to believe every word of what Tim above said, knowing the prejudice of many Westerners against Raja Bahrin
So to you love means seeing your mother after 10 plus years hey? I don't call that love.
ReplyDeletebest to read the story in its entirety before making silly comments ;-)
DeleteYou are a coward trying to put Bahrin in a better light. He is a very terrible human being who has destroid the life for his children and his ex-wife. There is no excuse and he has done nothing good at all.
ReplyDeleteI don't see his children's lives being destroyed. And his ex-wife married him voluntarily, but things went sour when life in Terengganu didn't quite meet her expectations. Incidentally, even after their divorce, Raja Bahrin accepted his children living with their mum in Melbourne. It was only when he heard they were partaking of pork stuff that he took the 'rescue' actions.
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