Persana Avril Sollunda
THERE was drama in a magistrate’s court in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Two competing lawyers sought to represent 32-year-old Sabahan Persana Avril Sollunda who was charged with perbuatan lucah (indecent behaviour) in public.
One of the lawyers was Francis Pereira. He was sanctioned by the Persana family members (brother and aunt), Datuk Richard Bainon (chairman of the Kadazandusun Cultural Association Klang Valley) and Beyond Pitas (a group that highlights the plight of the downtrodden).
The other lawyer was Muhammad Nor Izzat Nordin who was engaged by a mysterious man called Datuk Jay.
In the dock was the exotic-looking former model of mixed parentage (Kadazandusun and Punjabi). She was wearing a long black coat, a short skirt and boots.
Persana was arrested on April 25 after a video clip of a woman removing her white jacket, black blouse and bra in Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur, during an argument over her refusal to pay for her meal went viral.
The incident allegedly took place at 4.30pm on April 23.
I approached Persana and asked: “Remember me? I met you last week.”
I said this hoping she would recall our brief meeting during her court appearance on April 28 where she pleaded not guilty.
“Ya, you are Jay Jay’s friend,” said the woman who has been in jail for 10 days as nobody was in court to pay her bail.
Baffled as I didn’t know who Jay Jay was, I said, “Okay, take care.”
When her case was brought up before magistrate Siti Radziah Kamaruddin, the two lawyers explained the rather awkward situation. Siti Radziah decided to allow Persana to choose which lawyer she wanted to represent her. She picked Muhammad Nor.
When the charge was read, Persana maintained her not guilty plea. The magistrate allowed her to be freed on bail of RM7,000. Siti Radziah also ordered the Sabahan not to leave the peninsula.
When the court asked a bailor to stand up, Persana’s family members, Beyond Pitas members and Bainon had a shock.
It had been agreed that Persana’s younger brother Peter would be the bailor. Instead, a tall man stood up.
“Is he Datuk Jay?” I thought.
Peter and the tall man were asked to approach the magistrate, and it was decided that Peter would be the bailor.
The tall man turned out to be their uncle (their mother’s younger brother). In the spirit ofmitatabang (Kadazandusun for “the spirit of helping one another in whatever form”), the RM7,000 bail money was raised by the uncle, Bainon and Beyond Pitas.
About two hours later, Persana was released. When the press asked how she was, she said: “It has been a hectic time... It should not be... a court matter of time... and we should not have a sentence... which is long... as it creates a war between another country.”
While she was pursued by the media, the incoherent woman said, “... the queen of England is here to have a discussion with the Permaisuri Agung.”
Two days later, I called Persana’s uncle. He did not want to be identified but he told me he did not attend the earlier court date because he was misinformed about when her case was brought to court.
“How did you feel on Tuesday?” I asked.
“I felt sad. I felt very helpless when I saw her. My mission was to go to court, pay the bail and let her know that no matter what, there will always be a turning point,” he said. “We should not focus on the wrong she (allegedly) has done but on how best we can help and get her back on track.
“For Persana, whether she understands what happened, she will be encouraged that the community is helping her. It is encouraging that (bailing her out) was a team effort that brought the community together.”
The Persana case has indeed brought the Sabah community, especially the Kadazandusun, together.
On Saturday, when my article on giving her a second chance was published, I received phone calls and messages from prominent and ordinary Sabahans who wanted to help her.
I got the sense that they are helping because – to quote a famous Sabah phrase – “Kalau bukan kita, siapa lagi (If it is not us, who else)?”
This sentiment was echoed by Bainon.
“We, KDCA, have to help our people in Klang Valley who need our help. If not, who will help them?”
I also received email and tweets from non-Sabahans who were touched after reading about her plight.
Pereira, the lawyer, wanted to represent Persana pro bono. “No one should be deprived of liberty unless convicted of an offence that requires it.
“(Persana) Avril was incarcerated after the charge because she did not have legal representation to get her the bail that she’s entitled to. When a request was made, how can we turn a blind eye and deaf ear to her need?” he said.
I asked the uncle: “How did you feel when you saw that video?”
“I was sad and heartbroken. I guess the right thing to do for whoever was around her (the woman who resembled Persana) was to take a tablecloth or jacket to cover her up. It is sad that there were people taking video.
“That is equally wrong as it can damage another person,” he said.
“How do you feel now that she has been bailed out?” I asked.
“It is such a relief to the family that she now has a room to move about. It will give her time and privacy to rethink what happened. Of course, she can’t turn back the clock,” he said.
The uncle continued: “Society largely will judge as to how many times an individual has fallen but not how many times the individual tried her level best to stand up.”
