In Malaysia, no conspiracy sticks unless it drags in the words Zionists or Jews. The architects of such theories know these triggers will rile Malaysians, especially the Malay-Muslim majority.
So, in 2010, when the then-opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claimed in Parliament that the BN government’s 1Malaysia slogan was lifted from Israel’s “One Israel” campaign - via Apco Worldwide, the public relations firm hired by Najib Abdul Razak’s administration - it ignited a political firestorm.
Apco denied any involvement in creating the 1Malaysia slogan, stating that they were hired after the concept had already been established.
Following these claims, Anwar was referred to the Rights and Privileges Committee and was suspended for six months after it was ruled that he had failed to provide sufficient evidence to back his claims.
However, Khairy Jamaluddin, then Umno Youth chief, went a step further, claiming that Anwar had “links”, pointing to his relationships with several Apco International Advisory Council (IAC) members.
“Members of the IAC, which Anwar has accused of having links with the Israeli government, have very strong personal and professional relationships with him,” The Edge reported Khairy as saying in March 2010, reeling out several prominent names.
So, when the Inspector General of Police Khalid Ismail announced last week that they were investigating an attempt to conspire to topple the government and sabotage the country's stability, the keywords were consciously absent.
He said that police were investigating a plot involving an “influential individual” and an international media agency.
As investigations proceeded, Na’imah Abdul Khalid, the wife of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who was named in the police report, poured cold water on the claims, claiming they were laughable.
According to a copy of the police report sighted by Malaysiakini, she had allegedly held an online meeting sometime in July last year, where she discussed a purported plan to use international media outlets to mount pressure on Anwar and MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki.
PM ups the game
But on Friday, Anwar upped the ante with that infamous word – Zionists - to underline the conspiracy theory.
“Their plan included contacting all foreign media with a strategy of questioning the government’s efforts, particularly (those concerning) the MACC, and arranging moves through the Parliament, which concerns us (as the plan involved) utilising contacts among parliamentarians to destabilise (the government),” he told lawmakers.
He also urged those attempting to defend the plan to consider that the matter could possibly be linked to “prominent Zionist groups”, and for authorities to be provided the necessary time and space to complete their probe.
Yesterday, one of the two lawyers named in a police report rubbished the claims. He fired back, describing them as the “mother of all lies”.
Lawyer Nizamuddin Hamid said his client, Na’imah, had never given her legal team such instructions.
“I confirm that I am one of the lawyers named in the report. The other lawyer named was Amir Zharif Abdullah. Throughout our duties as lawyers for Na’imah, there was absolutely no discussion or instructions given to us to overthrow the government or undermine parliamentary democracy.
“There was none, and that (claim) is the mother of all lies,” Nizamuddin said.
Double standards
However, is the use of foreign public relations agencies and lobbyists wrong or illegal? Didn’t PKR leaders use foreign agencies to lobby for Anwar’s release after he was jailed on sodomy charges?
Former PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah admitted that in 2016, party leaders, including himself, were in communication with a US political consultancy firm about getting Anwar out of prison.
Claiming that lobbying for the release of political detainees was normal and perfectly acceptable, he said there were emails in 2016 between him and other PKR leaders and Perseus Strategies boss, Jared Genser.
So, is there a difference between the campaign to free Anwar and one initiated by Na’imah?
Anwar, when asked why the PKR lobbying was acceptable but Na’imah’s was not, said the two were not the same - as one was a fight for freedom, while the other sought to undermine the government.
In Malaysia, conspiracy theories don’t survive on evidence - they survive on seasoning. Sprinkle in “Zionists”, stir in “foreign plots”, and suddenly the blandest allegation becomes a fiery dish for public consumption.
What began as a recycled slogan scandal has now metastasized into a political reflex: when cornered, invoke the spectre of Jews and foreign cabals.
The irony, of course, is that both sides have dipped their hands into the same lobbying jar - whether to free a jailed leader or to smear a rival.
Predictable attacks
The hypocrisy is as blinding as it is predictable. For Anwar and his administration, the definition of a “conspiracy” is now: whatever the other side does.
When foreign lobbyists worked to free him from prison, it was a noble fight for justice. When a political rival’s associate allegedly engages with international media, whether clumsily or not, it is suddenly an existential threat to democracy, laced with the shadowy hand of Zionists.
By injecting that specific, incendiary word into the narrative, Anwar is not revealing a conspiracy; he is revealing a strategy. He is reaching for the oldest instrument in Malaysia’s political toolbox to delegitimise his opponents and shut down scrutiny.
If the “mother of all lies” is that a lawyer and a former minister’s wife were plotting to topple a government via Zoom calls, then the father of all political cynicism is using the spectre of Zionists to distract citizens.
The difference lies not in principle, but in convenience. And so, the cycle continues: every crisis dressed up as a foreign conspiracy, every accusation wrapped in the same tired cloak.
In the end, the nation’s political theatre does not need new scripts - it just needs its favourite trigger words.
The real question: Is the issue the use of foreign influence, or is it simply who is wielding it? In Malaysia, apparently, a conspiracy is only a conspiracy when you are the one being targeted. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is an award-winning journalist whose journalistic career has spanned more than five decades. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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