PARIS Hilton survived it, as did Pamela Anderson and other Hollywood stars. So did former United States president Bill Clinton.
Not so fortunate were former Taipei city councilwoman Chu Mei-feng and others scandalised by sexual escapades. They have, as a result of their indiscretion, faded into obscurity.
Personalities in Malaysia who have had brushes with the law or have been embroiled in scandals have not had it easy either. This is so even when the offence is not one legislated against but more a question of morality or ethics.
According to Eastern mores, dictates and standards, sex scandals of any kind are reprehensible. Which was why one involving former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek recently led to his resignation.
That he is now believed to be gunning for a higher post in the MCA in its party election is not a matter of contention for there is nothing within the party constitution or code of ethics that bars him from doing so, but a statement by Wanita MCA head Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen in relation to that has been the subject of debate in the party and the public.
Ng had said that the issue of morality should not be used against candidates who are contesting in the Oct 18 party elections.
She said leaders should instead be judged on their ability to unite the community and serve their needs, and that while values were important, so was the act of forgiveness.
Her statement brings forward an interesting question: is the ability of a leader more crucial, superseding his morality? Or should having a pristine reputation be predominant, considering leaders are looked upon as role models?
A number of politicians in Malaysia have come under the spotlight for their misadventures, whether sexual or otherwise.
They may represent different political parties and have diverse views and ideologies, but all have committed moral, or more aptly, immoral transgressions.
Should politicians or leaders be judged on their standards of morality?
Should their actions, even if not against the law, negate their contributions to society and country?
Are their private matters no business of the public? Or should the fact that they are role models preclude them from positions of authority?
In Malaysia, at least, the consensus is that it is imperative for politicians and other leaders to possess high moral standards.
According to one politician, morality did not just encompass personal behaviour or private morality.
It also meant that a leader should not be involved in money politics and make sure all promises made are kept.
"Politicians make all kinds of promises in the run-up to elections. They have to keep them and also discharge their responsibilities.
"That's what being a moral politician means and, for many people, it is crucial that this criterion is fulfilled."
Consequently, misbehaving politicians are rarely, if ever, tolerated. This is sometimes the case even in the absence of proof or a legal conviction.
Political analyst Ong Kian Ming said in Malaysia, there were not many examples of politicians who had returned to their political standing after a controversy.
He said it would be harder to come back from a sex-related controversy, compared with a financial scandal, for example.
"It is not that someone who has been involved in a sex scandal shows that he is less capable. Dr Chua , for example, was seen as a capable health minister but his credibility among the public and his party members had decreased to a point that he could not command the respect of his peers and the public."
He said sexual transgressions were not covered by the code of ethics of political parties. They usually touched on how members should uphold the party's reputation and image, "but once a person is caught red handed, there is no excuse and he would have to accept the consequences".
Leaders should, after all, be better people in some vital respects.
It is argued that if they were going to be in a position to help others get what they want in life, they must have honour and integrity in their own lives.
Negri Sembilan MCA legal bureau chief Tan Foong Luen said: "Some things in life are absolutely right and some things are absolutely wrong. There is black and white in life."
Society was buying into the idea that "what was right for me might not be right for you", he said.
"That may be true when it comes to picking the colour of the shirt we are going to wear or the tie we are going to buy, but it is not true when it comes to honesty and integrity."
That may be the ideal, others said, but it may not be pragmatic. Certainly, a politician should be a person of exemplary character but, like everyone else, they could make mistakes.
And if they had repented and showed that they had changed, misbehaving politicians should be given another chance, said former Wanita MIC chief Datin Paduka Jaya Partiban.
She said people in other professions were also expected to fulfil certain criteria, but they made mistakes, too.
"We should not hold one episode of misbehaviour against a person. If he endeavours to change and has proven that he is back on the right path, he should be given another opportunity to serve the people. After all, who are we to judge? Everyone has good and bad points. We should not hold this against him if he can contribute."
For a leader, what is crucial is the ability to deliver and stand up for the rights of the people.
Jaya said: "What is the point of having an unblemished character who cannot deliver."
She said politicians embroiled in scandals experienced downturns in their political fortunes only because the stories came to attention of the people through the media which tend to highlight such stories. "It would make a lot of difference if the stories were not played up."
She said, however, that it was not easy for politicians to bounce back after a scandal, especially if they had been out in the cold for a long time.
"After some time, one's power base would diminish."
Rightly or wrongly, the crux of it is that a leader's career will likely be scattered to the four winds once caught, or even perceived of wrongdoing, no matter which side eventually prevails in the morality versus ability debate.
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