Najib says he's thankful but who has cleared him of the Altantuya allegations?

As expected, Prime Minister Najib Razak made full use of a small respite offered by controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin to claim that both he and his wife have been vindicated over the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.

"Wow, that is one step too huge to take," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle. "But if he thinks Malaysians are not smart enought to see through the show, then he is in for a very rude awakening soon."

A slew of questions remain

Indeed, Malaysians have pored over the comments made by Raja Petra who did not actually clear the first couple from involvement in the murder, but rather said he reported their involvement based on information given to him by others.

While the blogger's words were confusing to many, what was clear was the opening it gave Najib and Rosmah to slip away from the allegations that have been hounding them since 2006. Nonetheless, most Malaysians do not believe the first couple are un-involved and suspect Raja Petra's motives.

Indeed, PKR vice president and civil rights lawyer N Surendran has already issued a press statement, calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the murder that took place five years ago.

"It is disappointing that whereas the French have actively pursued an investigation into the matter, in Malaysia the matter seems to have been swept under the carpet. The allegations and the surrounding issues are so serious and of such wide-ranging impact as to merit a Royal Commission of Inquiry," Surendran said in a statement out earlier on Thursday.

Najib's grip on power weakening

Meanwhile, Najib told the mainstream media he knew the 'truth' would finally prevail.

“I've always considered the matter closed. It was only an issue in the realm of the court of public opinion,” Starreported Najib as saying.

In an interview over TV3 on Wednesday night, Raja Petra said he had made the allegations against the first couple on the belief that the order came from PKR adviser and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

He added that his Statutory Declaration made in 2008, which stated he was reliably informed that Rosmah was among those present at the crime scene on Oct 19, 2006 when Altantuya was killed, was based on information and demand by several individuals aimed at preventing Najib from becoming prime minister.

Raja Petra claimed these individuals were connected to several politicians, including Anwar, and that they had put pressure on him to do what he did to prevent Najib from taking over from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who relinquished the post in 2009.

“I no longer accept the story. I think it's quite impossible. It can't be that the Prime Minister's wife would want to go to such a place; it's a jungle. I'm imagining, climbing up the hill, going into the jungle at night, at midnight, I think it's quite impossible,” Petra had said in an exclusive interview with TV3 Group Editor Ashraf Abdullah in Perth, Australia, recently.

A reliance on artifice

Speculation is now rife the latest 'sandiwara' or charade is aimed at helping the under-performing Najib retain the Umno presidency, and fending off rivals for his throne that include his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and Kelantan prince Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Since becoming prime minister in April 2009, Najib has failed to institute any real economic or social progress.

Of late, a massive conspiracy to tar Anwar through the use of a sex video has boomeranged, spurring Malay and Muslim groups to condemn the deterioration of morals under his leadership.

Najib and Rosmah are known for their over-reliance on public relations and the media to gloss over serious problems.

Apart from the French probe, questions remain as to why two of their former bodyguards were sentenced to hang for killing Altanuya.

The bodyguards' trial has been shrouded in a mystery of its own with the Judge forbidding counsel from asking 'sensitive' questions like , "who ordered the killing?"

Neither of the men had any motive to kill Altantuya. They only met her on the night of her death. Altantuya's cousin has also spoken of a photograph showing her having dinner with Najib and Najib's associate Razak Baginda. - Malaysia Chronicle