Of Zahid, Scorpenes, Altantuya and sheer political opportunism

There are many spooky legends about the dead, especially those who were brutally murdered, returning to haunt their killers. One way or another, these spirits will somehow seek revenge, so the superstition goes. Otherwise, their souls will never be in peace.

Altantuya Shaaribu, by all definitions, fits this legend. Indeed, the 28-year-old Altantuya - a Mongolian national murdered in Malaysia in 2006 - has now become a Malaysian legend!

There are also those who believe in jinx and to this group, the of-little-use Scorpene submarines which are tied to the Altantuya murder are indeed jinxed. As the Malay proverb goes, one cannot cover the carcass of an elephant without being noticed .

Top dollar for poor quality

In June 2002, the Malaysian government signed a EUR 1 billion contract with Armaris (now DCNS) and Spanish naval shipbuilder Izar (now Navantia) for 2 SSK Scorpenes and associated support and training. Both submarines have been delivered to Malaysia, and there has been some technical problems beginning with a malfunction of the cooling system, rendering them unable to dive plus the overall unsuitability of the subs for Malaysia's shallow seas and tropical waters. The communication system was also insufficient so much so that it had to be upgraded, pushing the cost up to RM6.7 billion.

Malaysians were shocked when news leaked that Altantuya was closely connected to the Scorpenes deal via a EUR 114 million “commission” payment to Perimekar, a firm owned by a close associate of the then Defence Minister and current Prime Minister, Najib Raak.The Scorpene scandal involves kickbacks amounting to 114.96 million euros (RM574.8 million) allegedly paid to Najib through Perimekar.

Defence industry sources have estimate the cost of maintaining the submarines at RM270 million per year, eventually peaking at RM600 million per million when they are exposed to more wear and tear. This means the overall cost of the Scorpenes will cross the RM10 billion mark soon.

Another attempt to' close' the Scorpene scandal

Najib has repeatedly denied his involvement in the scandal. He has tried to distance himself from the case and bring it to a close by allegedly using the Malaysian courts to pin the blame for Altantuya's murder on two of his former bodyguards. Counter measures such as using the government-controlled media, swearing to Allah that he never knew Altantuya during the by-election campaign in Ijok were also used. Then when all his efforts came to no avail, Najib was forced to instruct others to defend him. However, the legend that Altantuya had become refused to die.

True to form, the scandal cropped again at the recent LIMA 2011 event, where the current Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi was questioned on why an UMNO blogger called Papagomo was given the special privilege to go onboard one of the Scorpenes for a dive along with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Was it not wasteful spending host Guan Eng and the lkes of Papagomo for a 90-minute ride on the Scorpene just so that the BN media could ambush Guan Eng, who is also the DAP secretary-general, and try to make him say that the much-criticized Scorpenes were"hebat" or fantastic.

Soon after the ride, an SMS was circulated: LGE kena brainwahed oleh French intel agent but with French wine n girls on board. Zahid was tempted to join the s**** on board but his wife objected tho he is impotent.

Indeed, the dive has failed to yield much result or correct the perception that the corruption and murder scandal is related to Najib. If anything, Zahid's desperate efforts have only highlighted the case once again to the people, while questions remain unanswered as to why the BN government paid such a huge cost to acquire two unsuitable subs, not to mention the still-unresolved alleged kickbacks to Najib via Perimekar, a firm controlled by his close friend Razak Baginda.

Chinese and Indians not patriotic enough to join Armed Forces

The 58-year-old Zahid is no stranger to controversy. His argument, in response to a query raised in Parliament, that the Chinese and Indians only made up a tiny proportion of the Armed Forces was because their "patriotism spirit is not high enough" was condemned. He was accused of being a racist and undermining Najib's by-now defunct 1Malaysia concept of multiracialism.

Zahid either could not or simply refused to understand that the non-Malays are as patriotic as the Malays and patriotism manifests itself in various forms and not only by joining the military. Being a good, productive and law abiding citizen is also a form of patriotism. But is stealing the nation’s funds by siphoning it from the various money-making-schemes patriotic? Is not plundering the nation’s wealth and mismanaging the people's money to the brink of bankruptcy unpatriotic? Some would say that was treason!

Ahmad Zahid also refused to acknowledge that the huge numbers of Malays in the army is simply because many are desperate to earn some money. With their lack of grades, skills, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial skills, where would these Malays end up if not joining the army? The non-Malays especially the Chinese are very resourceful and have an independent streak.

Even the US military found it difficult to recruit new intakes without enticing them with money and other benefits! But instead of facing up to the new reality, Zahid not only insulted the Chinese and the Indians, he also belittled the sacrifices of all the non-Malays in the army and navy. With a stroke of the pen, so to speak, he wiped away all their hard work and contribution to the nation.

Changing loyalties

The fact of the matter is that Zahid is just another sycophantic politician looking for a way to publicly show his support for Najib. He tried to divert our attention away from the jinxed Scorpenes by using Guan Eng to wipe clean the negative perception Malaysians have of the subs. With GE-13 around the corner, Zahid is keen to let Najib know which side he is on.

Zahid has been called a political chameleon in the past. Zahid was initially close to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and after the fall out between Mahathir and Anwar, Zahid portrayed himself as a staunch supporter of Mahathir's. Yet after Mahathir retired, Zahid had the nerve to be outspoken against Mahathir, calling for an end to cronyism and nepotism in the Malaysian government.

It is obvious Zahid still wants to be the Defence Minister after the GE-13. Cynics say he wants to preside over the purchase of other military hardware and arsenal. Other Umno colleagues also point out that Zahid may be gunning to be the next Mentri Besar of Perak. Speculation has been rife that he is on the hot list of candidates to replace Zambry Kadir, who has stepped on one too many toes.

Perhaps the superstitious are right after all. Maybe the restless, angry and roaming soul of Altantuya not only haunts those directly involved in her murder but also anyone who tries to cover it up and prevent the truth from emerging!

Malaysia Chronicle