Allegations of maid rape by minister is new blow to Malaysian government

By: The Associated Press


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A Malaysian Cabinet minister denied on Wednesday he had raped his Indonesian maid four years ago, saying the allegations circulating on the Internet are part of a campaign to discredit the government before general elections.
The accusations against Information Minister Rais Yatim were made by an Indonesian labour activist group in an internal report that was leaked and made its way into blog postings.
Rais, who had remained silent until now, issued a strong denial through the state news agency, Bernama. Without naming anyone, he blamed bloggers and opposition parties for "ugly and wicked lies."
"I deny the allegations, whether it involves raping any individual four years ago or any other accusation raised by wild writers on the Internet or by any political party," he said in the statement.
The allegations are a new blow to ties between Malaysia and Indonesia, and to Prime Minister Najib Razak's effort to consolidate his government amid expectations that he will call early general elections, which are not due until 2013.
Rais, 68, said he and his family members were prepared to extend full co-operation to an investigation.
The alleged rape was reported by Indonesian activist group Migrant Care, which interviewed the maid in 2007 before she returned to Indonesia. A Migrant Care official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the case, confirmed the group had handled the case but refused to elaborate.
He said the woman doesn't want to make public comments.
It is not clear how the report was leaked, but it made its way onto the Internet late last month. The blogs claimed that the case was covered up by the government of then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who stepped down in 2009.
Indonesian Embassy officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.