Home minister continues to gaslight Malaysians

 

“It doesn’t matter whether the names mentioned are Azam, Farhash, or (businessperson) Victor Chin. “But let us obtain full disclosure through the special committee headed by the attorney-general (Dusuki Mokhtar).” – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail is curious about a police probe against lawyers representing the family of Noorizwan Zulkefly, is certain no MACC officers were identified as witnesses to be called in the corporate mafia scandal, goes on a detour when asked questions about the murder of Teoh Beng Hock and claimed the seven footballers he granted citizenship to understood what he was saying in Bahasa Malaysia.

Rational Malaysians who understand anything about the nexus between the political class and the state security apparatus in this country will of course be sceptical of anything this home minister says or does.

While some folks may think that Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh is the worst of what Umno Youth has to offer, they forget that compared to old-timers like Saifuddin (above), the former is a petulant child undeserving of the infamy bestowed upon him.

Back when PKR was considered a force that could reform this country, Saifuddin, the former Umno Youth rabble-rouser, once famously apologised for the mob he led which disrupted the Apcet 11 forum in the 90s, where he admitted that he was under the orders of the then deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob.

Saifuddin said: "At 4pm, Oct 9, 1996, I was called by Megat Junid. I went to meet him, escorted by a few senior police officers." He added that the minister then told him, "By hook or by crook, you must stop the conference. Kalau tidak, saya anggap Pemuda Umno tiada telur (Otherwise, I would assume that Umno Youth has no balls)."

Why is this bit of trivia important? Because it demonstrates the kind of politics Malay power structures in this country practise. The kind of intentional thug politics that is often disguised as spontaneous expressions of dissatisfaction and which reflects a conspiratorial attitude, the mindset of the political elite in this country.

Furthermore, here was an Umno Youth leader escorted by “a few senior police officers” to meet the deputy home minister. Hence, senior police officers were escorting a political operative to incite havoc in a public forum with the blessings of a sitting deputy minister.

Add this to the scandals of supposed cartels operating within the police force and the influence peddling of politicians in the selection of the force's upper echelons, are rational Malaysians to believe that the home minister is either surprised, confused or ignorant of what is happening in the state security apparatus?

No accountability

This is a coalition that has made allegations against the government when they were not in power over supposed malfeasances by the state. An example of this would be the allegations that, back in the day, Anwar Ibrahim was poisoned with arsenic in the late 1990s while in detention and the subsequent acquittal of 27 protesters, including prominent Pakatan Rakyat MPs who made such claims.

Even then, the police force demonstrated a lack of interest that the political class would hold them accountable.

From reportage:

• The decision today comes after almost 11 years of trial at the prosecution stage. It was thrown out after seven key witnesses failed to appear since last November. In freeing the accused, (Magistrate) Hafizza (Sauni) noted that seven witnesses have yet to testify.
  
  “Ample time had been given to the prosecution to call their witnesses, including the respective police officers since November. Most of them are here in Kuala Lumpur including the then OCPD. Hence, there should have been no problem for them to testify.
  
  “However, there was also no explanation why the subpoenas could not be served or why they failed to come,” she said, describing it as regrettable.

If the political class in power then had such a strong influence over the state security apparatus, what do you think the situation is like now? Notice how, when appearing confused about why the police were investigating the lawyers in the Noorizan case, the home minister said:

• "While the lawyers were carrying out their duty with dedication, how did they carry themselves with the authorities who were carrying out the investigation? How did they communicate? Were there any situations that could have led to ethical violations? I am not privy to that information.”

Two points need to be made here. The first is that the home minister is attempting to muddy the waters by casting aspersions on the conduct of the lawyers, much as the way the police always attempt to tarnish the reputation of those who have died in their custody.

The second point is, does anyone really believe that the home minister is not privy to why these lawyers are being investigated, taking into the reality of the nexus between political power and the state security apparatus?

Consider the results of the probe into former MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki, which apparently is under wraps. Apparently, the state can keep an issue like this under wraps, but the home minister cannot involve his ministry in the way the police operate even though it is within the scope of his ministry. Does this make sense to anyone?

Azam Baki

At least “our boy Hamzah” (Hamzah Zainudin), who was home minister at one time, believed that this was perfectly acceptable when the audio clip scandal of the appointments of high-ranking police staff was revealed:

• “The only offence (with the audio clip) was the person who taped my conversation with someone. That is wrong. What I did was not wrong,”

Perhaps the most egregious when it comes to the nexus between criminality, the state security apparatus and the political class was when Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was home minister at one point, said that police officers arrested in the Wang Kelian were released because there was no evidence against them:

• "The 12 police officers suspected of being involved in smuggling migrant workers were arrested under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (Atipsom) and the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca).
  
  "However, they have been released because there was insufficient evidence to convict them of the offence," Zahid said.

The "hear no wrongdoing, see no wrongdoing but do some wrongdoing" stance of the Home Ministry is something that Saifuddin is just replicating, not creating.

What the home minister and Madani have done is weaponise the issue of political interference against the reform forces in this country while engaging in such behaviour to sustain the swamp. - Mkini

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT