Extraditing RPK: Pakatan flays Hisham for trying to blame Britain

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Pakatan Rakyat has slammed Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for trying to shift to the British authorities the blame for the failure of Malaysian police and foreign affairs ministry to extradite top blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin from London, where he is now living.

Raja Petra fled Malaysia after writing several bone-shaking revelations about Prime Minister Najib Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor, their friend Razak Baginda and the trio's alleged involvement in a high-profile murder-and-graft case.

“To me, it is the Malaysian authorities who are getting more and more cranky. There is no logic in the way they react, they seem to be beating out each fire that erupts with a different extinguisher. There is no consistency at all and this is what gives rise to the perception that there is something really fishy going on," PAS legal adviser Hanipa Maidin told Malaysia Chronicle.

"The lack of action, or rather, the active suppression of action to not stir up more revelations has been glaring. Why did Najib stop the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission from going to London and recording a statement from Bala? Why did they blame Petra but don't do anything to extradite him? Until we get a good explanation, not flimsy excuses or passing the buck, the nation and the world will doubt Najib even more.”

Independent probe or resign, please

Pundits also say that to a large extent, Najib’s Umno party was to blame for the huge negative publicity arising from the case that has tarnished the country's image. They accused the party's Supreme Council of fearing to offend Najib, when instead, they should have demanded that their president submitted himself to a thorough and independent probe.

The 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a beautiful 28-year old Mongolian translator, and her involvement in an alleged RM570 million kickback from Najib's purchase of two Scorpene submarines have drawn huge national and international attention. The French authorities are already investigating their own firms involved in supplying the submarines for possible corruption against Malaysian taxpayers. However, the Malaysian agencies themselves have done nothing concrete at all.

Meanwhile, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution called on Prime Minister Najib to resign if he refuses to allow a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the murder-and-graft case.

“As the prime minister, we have to accord him all respect and fairness. We should not just be blinded by the bad publicity and immediately demand his resignation. He is innocent until proven guilty, but he must subject himself to a thorough and independent investigation,” Saifuddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

“Najib must not expect his countrymen to sweep the dirt under the carpet. That is old politics, Umno politics, not Pakatan politics. So please do the honorable thing, don’t keep disgracing the country. Insist on an independent investigation to clear your own name, or step down gracefully.”

It is the fault of the Brits!

So far, few in the ruling Umno-BN coalition have dared to question Najib or urge him to instruct the MACC to initiate a thorough probe. Of late, those aligned to him including Hishammuddin have tried to suggest that Raja Petra was behind the plan to embarrass Najib.

A meeting had been set up in London and the MACC was due to go there to record a statement from P Balasubramaniam, a private investigator hired by Baginda. It was Bala, who had 'blown the whistle' on Najib, his wife Rosmah and Baginda via a statutory declaration made in 2008 (see below).

A surprise exception who did not try to offer excuses for Najib was Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who recently asked why the Malaysian authorities were making Raja Petra their bogeyman but not doing anything to bring him to book.

On Tuesday, Hishammuddin told the press that it was not the fault of the Malaysian agencies.

“If the stand and the policy of the country in question do not permit a person to return, to bring the person back to face action or to face the law, what other choices do we have?” said Hishammuddin, referring to Britain, where Raja Petra is currently living.

“Do we enter this country and kidnap him? Do we smuggle him out like he is a terrorist? This is not our way in Malaysia.”