MORE HOT SOUP FOR UMNO-BN: Australia demands Xenophon’s release

It looks like Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Umno-BN coalition have shot themselves in the foot again. Australia is now officially seeking the immediate release of its Senator Nick Xenophon, who is now being detained by the Malaysian government for allegedly being a “security risk”.

Xenophon was held at the budget carrier terminal upon arrival this morning and is expected to be deported later today by the Malaysian Immigration Department, which until now has not given any official statement.

“Australia’s concerns have been raised with Malaysia’s Foreign Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs and the Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia. Their support is requested in securing Senator Xenophon’s swift release from custody,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr said in a statement today.

“Senator Xenophon’s detention is a surprising and disappointing act from a country with which Australia routinely maintains strong diplomatic relations,” he added.

Carr also said that Australian High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur Miles Kupa had contacted Xenophon and demanded an explanation for the detention.

Cancelled their flights: Another international scandal

Xenophon came to Malaysia to meet Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. He is also due to meet Nazri Aziz, the Umno Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department as well as Election Commission officials to discuss the country’s controversial electoral system.

Apart from Xenophon, other Australian senators and MPs were due to arrive on Sunday to observe Malaysia’s electoral system, but have now cancelled their flights.

“According to Immigration, he’s a security risk and they are just acting on orders from above,” Ibrahim Yaacob, Anwar's chief of staff, had told the press.

In the past 2 weeks, Najib has gotten into trouble over several international incidents as his Umno-BN coalition braces for a tough general election where they could lose the federal government to Anwar and his Pakatan Rakyat opposition front.

Just a day ago, Najib was forced to issue a denial he had personally intervened to stop renowned Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip from coming to Kuala Lumpur to perform a second autopsy on security guard C Sugumar, who had died in suspicious circumstances while in police custody.

Najib and his BN coalition also attracted massive negative publicity over a Chinese New Year gig where Korean mega-star Psy was invited to perform his smash-hit Oppa Gangnam-style.However, despite a purported US$2 million fee, the Korean star declined to come onstage and endorse the BN team, only performing after they had returned to their VIP tents. To cover up the embarrassment, Umno-BN spread word that Najib had to 'leave early' because there was a death threat against the singer.

"These are all signs that Najib is feeling more and more insecure. He is turning more hardline and authoritarian as the election nears. But to deport a senator from a friendly country like Australia is to tell the whole world that the BN has something to hide. In the past, observers - whether pro-BN or pro-Opposition - could come and give their views after fact-finding visits. So why now?" Sivarasa Rasiah, the PKR MP for Subang, told Malaysia Chronicle.

Fear of fair elections?

Meanwhile, news of Xenophon’s detention has been picked up by the press in Australia, which is home to a large Malaysian student population that has been active in clamoring for greater human rights and democracy back home.

“I am effectively a prisoner here,” Xenophon, who managed to make a phone call home, was quoted as telling Australian newspaper The Sunday Mail.

“I’m being held in an area with all these holding cells which are full of women. They have basically told me I am an enemy of the state. They are trying to get me on the next plane out of here and back home.  I was even meeting members of the government, I mean, the whole situation is ridiculous, we are meant to be the closest of friends with Malaysia. We are meant to be having a people swap deal on asylum seekers but so far it looks like the only person being swapped is me.”

Malaysia Chronicle