ST Tian Chua or S&M Tian Chua

In Lim KS: "AAB launching Ops Lalang II?" I wrote:

15 anti-toll hike protestors outside the IOI shopping mall in Puchong were arrested a couple of days ago. Among those arrested were PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah, Tian Chua and PKR former Youth chief Ezam Mohd Nor.

Tian Chua was of course right in his favourite element, that is, of being ‘arrested. I get the feeling he has a wee inclination towards martyr-dom.

Yes, Tian Chua seemed to be a martyr wannabe. He first came to my attention when I was watching TV with a girl some years ago (yes, the programme was actually worthwhile), when there was a report of Tian Chua being hauled away by the police.

malaysiakini photo

She sneeringly commented on Tian Chua as a hopeless bloke who might even be a closeted masochist, always putting himself into harm’s way with the police. Bloke had been water-cannoned, shoved, elbowed, dragged, bashed etc. I did feel sorry for him but alas, the girl's disdain steeled my heart against any sympathies. I knew where my ... er ... priorities lie.

Does Tian Chua have a death wish? Dr KT Freud would love to study his childhood experience.

Does he want to be a martyr or is he, as my friend suggested, a closeted masochist?

This is what malaysiakini just wrote on him, with a headline saying Tian Chua - Bold or reckless?

He has lost count of the number of times he has been arrested. He was also detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for two years for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government through militant means.

malaysiakini chart

Some admire his boldness, others say he is reckless. Meet Tian Chua.

Unlike other opposition leaders, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) information bureau chief has a tendency to attract media coverage for all the wrong reasons.

Recently, the 43-year-old politician added another ‘feather to his cap’ when he was arrested over an attempted murder charge.

Media reports alleged that he had ploughed through a barricade with his car, nearly running over a worker, during a demolition of squatter houses in Kuala Lumpur.

But Chua denied this and is mulling a law suit against the police and media for defamation.

I have no doubt that he is sincere in a martyr-ish way. Actually I fear for Tian Chua that one day when he wakes up from his bruises and aches, he realises that all along he has been used by unscrupulous people. That realization, that it had been all for nothing, will be the biggest blow to this wannabe Saint activist or wanton S&M acolyte.