Criminal Celebrities. Celebrity Criminals.
by Unknown
If you walk down any street in Kuala Lumpur and suddenly witness a crime ranging from robbery or choppery (chopping someone, literally)happening in front of your naked eyes, rest assured, you're not hallucinating. It's quite common in Malaysia, but not during Puasa month I guess, if you know what I mean.
Fine. Back to the topic. What are the well-known criminals in the history of Malaysia? Some would raise up their hands when questioned and answer "Najib! He murdered the Mongoli-". Oops, not cool...
Grotesque facial expression.
'Mention her name and most people will shudder as they recall the lurid details of their bizarre crime.' - The Star, 2007
Maznah Ismail, or Mona Fandey, also called 'The Bomoh' (witch doctor), murdered Datuk Mazlan Idris, Pahang's assemblyman with the help of her husband Mohamad Nor Affandi and their assistant, Juraimi Hassan.
Victim Datuk Mazlan Idris, ex assemblyman of Pahang
Mazlan Idris sought Mona Fandey for help in his political career. An appointment was made for cleansing rituals to be performed at Mona's house. Mazlan was told to lie on the floor face up while Mona placed flowers on him. She then told Mazlan to close his eyes and wait for the money to "fall from the sky."
What happened next was surprisingly...gruesome.
Juraimi then, using an axe, chopped Mazlan's head off. They also dismembered and partially skinned Mazlan's body. His body was found in 18 parts buried in a storeroom near Mona's house in Pahang.
Need a clearer depiction of what happened?
Dismemberment on a whole new level in Malaysia.
By murdering alone, Mona Fandey gained more notoriety than she had been when she was a pop singer. Oh and yes, before that she was an artist.
Mona's stint as a pop singer was short-lived. It was during this time she adopted the stage name "Mona Fandey" to boost her popularity. Her career did not really take off, but she still managed to come up with one self-sponsored album entitled Diana and made a few television appearances. She was also a water ballet dancer during her youth. - Murderpedia
Sounds like a B-grade horror movie but that's what really happened. Leaping from a singer to a murderer; a celebrity into a criminal that's still a celebrity. Still don't think she was a celebrity?
"So what turns a famous person into a celebrity? The grand answer, on empirical evidence, seems to be narrative." - Neal Gabler
Theoretically speaking, greatness doesn't make a person a celebrity, but if his/her stories draw eyes and ears from the people across the world, I don't see why not.
In essence, being famous and being a celebrity are two different things, and with this at hand, I can conclude that Mona Fandey was also a celebrity when she was labelled as a murderess. Remember, the stories count!
Unforgivable, unforgettable. Now even I'm starting to doubt my sanity for calling her a celebrity... Well, just kidding.
For more information about Mona Fandey, do visit this link: http://murderpedia.org/female.F/f/fandey-mona.htm
(Some eye rest for you before we proceed.)
Despite the shitty quality, he still looked cool.
Do you know who was the most notorious gangster ever known in Malaysia? I'm sure you've heard of him. Wong Swee Chin, a.k.a Botak Chin, committed countless armed robberies and homicide, making a fearsome sight to behold. Back in the 70s, dealing with him was harder than dealing with cancer for the police forces. No joke.
However, based on rumours, the Chinese community respected him a lot, and often regarded him as the modern Robin Hood for sharing his loots from robberies to the poor.
Robin Hood to the Chinese, Robin Crook to the police.
Left school at age 15 and bashed down by his mother's death, he often spent time away from home preferring to live with his friends. Away from his father's watchful eye, he got involved with the local hoodlums where he was initiated into committing petty crimes and joined his first gang; the 360 gang (Sak Pak Lok).This was when everything took a sick turn. Imagine obtaining a firearm at the age of 18 illegally so he could recruit and form his new gang to expedite his robbery spree.
Imprisonment was inevitable for a young criminal like Botak Chin. Few months upon release from the jail, however, he formed a new gang again and purchased even more illegal gunfires from Thailand.
The gang used a vacant tin mine in Kepong as their shooting range, targeting stray dogs. There were also reports that Botak Chin used to openly display his gun at the Sentul market but nobody dared offend him for fear of being made a victim.With more 'tools of trade', Botak Chin, along with his friends, Ng Cheng Wong (Ah Wong), Beng Kok Chin (Pangkor Chai) and Teh Bok Lay (Seh Chai) robbed numerous banks across the state, fleeing away with at least RM100,000.
At this rate, don't you find something amiss? Were Botak Chin and his gang that indomitable that not even police forces could stand in their way and pull the trigger? It is said that on his frequent visit to Thailand, firearms weren't the only things he spent his dime on.
It is believed that the reason he managed to successfully evade capture, survive and escape from numerous gun battles with the police is because he wears a very powerful talisman called 'Phra Pidta Tangkal' obtained from a bomoh siam from Thailand.
The plot thickens. So black magic has its part in his story as well. That explains why despite the death of his closest friends and gang members, he remained unscathed from almost all gunfights with the police, well yeah, except for the last gunfight who brought him down for a persecution... and a death sentence.
Last but not least, why do people call Wong Swee Chin with hair 'botak' (bald)?
'The term itself does not describe his locks but rather, it is a Malay acronym that goes 'Bantu Orang Tak Ada Kerja'. (Helping those who are jobless/in need).' - Abu Bakar Juah
Putting all the grandmama's stories aside, does my exemplification clarify the fact that interesting stories make celebrities? You don't need a pretty face or money to become one.
Story + Audience = Fame -> Celebrity
Until next time.
Reading Materials:
Golingai, P. (2007) 'Black Magic Mayhem' The Star online. Available online: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx/?file=%2f2007%2f7%2f25%2flifeliving%2f20070725170304&sec=lifeliving [Accessed on: 12th of July, 2014]
'Mona Fandey' Murpedia. Available online:
http://murderpedia.org/female.F/f/fandey-mona.htm
[Accessed on: 12th of July, 2014]
Gabriel, N. (2001) 'Toward a New Definition of Celebrity' The Norman Lear Center, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California. Available online: http://www.learcenter.org/images/event_uploads/Gabler.pdf> [Accessed on: 12th of July, 2014]
Jimmy 'The Story of Botak Chin: Robin Hood or Robin Crook?' Friends of Star. Available online:
http://www.staroba.my/malaysia/723-the-story-of-botak-chin-robin-hood-or-robin-crook.html
[Accessed on: 12th of July, 2014]
'Where Botak Chin Met His End' The Star online. AVailable online: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx/?file=%2f2010%2f6%2f27%2fnation%2f6554611&sec=nation
[Accessed on: 12th of July, 2014]
from the way you description the celebrity article, you let me know the topic for celebrity in another way that inspire my concept in my next article.
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