BE CAREFUL NAJIB & ROSMAH: P.I. BALA WOULD TURN IN HIS GRAVE AT HOW BN 'MANIPULATED' HIS WIDOW

This was one press conference (PC) that was excruciatingly painful to watch. From the outset, it was clear that an embattled woman had been set-up.

At one point, the PC organiser, Ramesh Rao, and the woman at the centre of the press event, A Santamil Selvi, almost came to blows.

Ramesh talked over reporters, Selvi walked out. Nothing went according to script.

The Star reported that a heated conversation took place between Selvi and Ramesh when she lashed out at Ramesh in Tamil, "This is not how it was supposed to go!"

It is not too difficult to understand Selvi's predicament. As any single mother knows, life is especially difficult with young children to raise.

Selvi is Private Investigator, P Balasubramaniam's widow. Following the investigations into the death of Mongolian model, Altantuya Shaariibuu, PI Bala released two statutory declarations (SDs) in 2008, The first implicated PM Najib Razak in Altantuya’s death, whilst the second, was a retraction of the first.

The family fled to India, for safety. They returned from exile in 2013, but PI Bala died of a heart attack, soon after.

Selvi scheduled a press conference on 15 March, 2016, and a statement issued by the pro-Najib NGO, Pertubuhan Minda Sosial dan Prihatin (PMSP) said, "PI Bala's wife will make an open apology to Najib and family, and denounce the opposition's false promises".

That should have rung warning bells.

During the PC, Selvi was clearly out of her depth. She started off smiling and at ease.

When the questions were fired at her, she folded her arms, as if to protect herself, and kept looking at Ramesh, the PMSP leader and organiser of the PC, as if to say, "What is happening here? You could have warned me."

Selvi looked increasingly forlorn and probably wished the ground would swallow her up. "Had she changed her tune? Had her husband lied? Was she telling the truth?"

The questions on everyone's lips is probably, "Why did she do it? Why did she agree to the press conference, to apologise to various people in high society? What would her husband have said?"

Ramesh kept answering the questions which were directed at Selvi, and this prompted an Australian reporter to insist that Selvi respond.

Ramesh barked at him, "Hey, white man! What is wrong with you?" before asking if the reporter was in the pay of the Opposition.

When a local reporter pressed Ramesh for the source of Selvi's funding, Ramesh repeatedly lashed out, "Are you deaf?"

From then one, it was obvious that Ramesh's plan, had descended into farce.

Americk Sidhu, Selvi's lawyer, told Malaysiakini that he was surprised at Selvi's PC and said, "I got an SMS from her yesterday saying (they) offered to pay for her children's education and pay her RM50,000 as well."

At the PC, Selvi acknowledged, "I am here for my children's education. That is all! It's only RM20,000. PKR could not give me, so I came here for my children's education. That's all! Let me take my bag and I don't want any more questions!”

So, why did she feel the need to make an apology?

If Ramesh and his paymasters, are as sincere as they claim to be, why not just help Selvi, without the accompanying circus?

A social observer said, "Everyone is suffering from the high cost of living. They would like to help Selvi, but when they heard that her children attend an international school, they think twice about assisting.

"As for the people she said sorry to, apology or not, it looks worse for them." - http://theantdaily.com/