Papagomo was in the news yesterday for a video recording showing him assaulting a foreign worker for purportedly having harassed his sisters and their friends.
Among the flood of messages to him in response to the video, Papagomo said his attention was drawn by those of women who said they had been victims of sexual harrassment but were too afraid to lodge police reports, Malay Mail Online reported.
In an online posting he explained that the women feared that, if they did, they would lose their dignity in public perception “because Malaysians today enjoy making baseless accusations”.
Papagomo himself in the past became notorious for postings attacking opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and posting video recordings which were claimed to be of Anwar having sex with a Chinese prostitute.
In December he was ordered to pay Anwar RM800,000 in libel damages for blog postings several years ago.
In yesterday’s Facebook posting, Papagomo related the story of a woman named “Anis” who said she was sexually assaulted by a man of African origin and was later a victim of rumours and gossip that led her to return to her village.
“Sexual harassment cases should be given due attention by the authorities and also by Malaysians, by not adding and speculating on stories,” he was quoted as saying.
In the latest video, Papagomo is seen slapping, punching and kicking a foreign worker who appears confused and said he did not understand what was happening. “This is Malaysia you should respect Malaysian people. Don’t lying (sic) with me,” Muhammad Azri said in the video.
Police have said Papagomo would be investigated for taking the law into his own hands.
The women’s rights group Tenaganita criticised Papagomo for his actions. “What he did was not only bullying but it was also illegal,” said Tenaganita director Glorene Das, who called for an end to “undue aggression” against migrants and refugees.
Das also called for serious action on Papagomo’s comment that the police reacted too slowly. “It must be looked into seriously and we must learn to tackle it so as to prevent something like this from happening again,” she said.