Politicians and Sex Scandals

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power," so said the great former US President Abraham Lincoln.

This quote can be used as a model to gauge a man's character, especially of those wielding political power. Politicians and sex scandals are like fish and water -- inseparable. Some are good at keeping their bed-hopping antics under wraps while others get exposed.

When the latter happens, some take the "gentlemanly" approach and confess while others pretend as if nothing has happened. No amount of media bashing would coax these men to come out and admit their extramarital affairs.

One of the major sex scandals that hogged the media limelight back in 1998 was the extra-marital affair between the then American President Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky, which Clinton first denied, then admitted.

Hillary Clinton stood by her husband throughout the ordeal.

Lewinsky, had after 15 years of staying out of the limelight, written in this month's issue of the Vanity Fair, about her affair with President Clinton.

In the tell-all piece, she had denied that she had been paid off by the Clintons to stay mum on the issue. She said that her "coming out" was a first step to moving forward in life.

Closer to home, we have former MCA president and health minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek who was caught having a tryst with an unidentified woman (whom he later described as a "personal friend") by hidden cameras placed in a hotel room in Johor, back in 2008.

Clips of the tryst were widely circulated and this prompted Soi Lek to come out and admit the affair. He also relinquished all his government and party positions. Taking responsibility and publicly admitting the affair had obviously done him good, as MCA members forgave him and elected him as their president in 2011.

Such sex-tape scandals involving politicians are nothing new to our shores. Back in the early 90s, video tapes depicting the sexual adventures of MIC leader and then Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, DP Vijandran, surfaced.

MORE HERE.