Maria Chin Abdullah, was arrested on Nov 18, one day before the Bersih 5 rally. Ten days later, she was freed from detention under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), a day before her habeas corpus hearing. Although more than 23 politicians and activists have been arrested in connection with the Bersih 5 rally, only Maria was detained under Sosma.
Specifically, Maria, Bersih chairperson, was investigated under Section 124C of the Penal Code for engaging in activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy. Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) said she was kept in solitary confinement in a small windowless room which only had a wooden bed, with no mattress – a treatment fits only for terrorists!
There were basically two screws up with Maria’s detention. First, she was arrested under a law, criticised as a reincarnation of the draconian Internal Security Act 1969 (ISA), which was meant for terrorists – NOT political opponents, let alone activists. Second, she was treated like a terrorist because Najib’s minister claims she was linked and worked for CIA.
While it was a surprise that Maria was arrested and detained under Sosma, her sudden release was a total mystery. Her lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan said – “Initially, they said they will record her statement. So I went inside to accompany her as they took her statement. At the end of it, they got an order to release her. We were really stunned and both of us broke down,”
So, why was Maria released just one day before her habeas corpus hearing? Did Prime Minister Najib Razak finally realize Maria will be released because even his Kangaroo Court would find the charges absurd and ridiculous? If that was the reason, it shows Najib has been ill-advised by a bunch of idiots, which in turns show Najib was a bigger fool for appointing them in the first place.
However, if Maria was wrongly arrested, why did Annuar Musa – a member of the powerful UMNO Supreme Council and Chairman of MARA – said that upon returning to Malaysia, Maria and her late husband, Yunus Lebai Ali, whom she met and married in London in 1979, began work with several NGOs linked to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States?
Among the NGOs specified by Annuar Musa were the National Institute for Electoral Integrity (NIEI), and MAFREL (Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections) that were sponsored by the Asia Foundation, a network of NAMFREL (The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections) and ANFREL (Asian Network for Free and Fair Elections).
Heck, Mr. Annuar has even claimed that former CIA agent Philip Agee had revealed NAMFREL and ANFREL were “CIA tools” masked behind the slogan “People Power”. In short, Maria Chin could be a secret CIA agent sent by the U.S. with a mission to undermine the Government of Malaysia and subsequently to overthrow Najib administration.
Unless Mr. Annuar has lied, that means Maria could have committed treason which is worse than terrorism. But if she was indeed a betrayal, why did Najibfree her yesterday? Clearly, Mr. Najib isn’t an idiot otherwise he wouldn’t have pulled a grand “Ponzi Scheme” such as 1MDB, a scandal stretching from Malaysia to Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Switzerland, Australia, Hong Kong, U.S., UK and Luxembourg.
Even if Maria wasn’t linked to CIA at all and her arrest and detention were nothing but an abuse of power by Najib administration, so what? Does anyone think that the powerful Najib Razak was afraid of 800 people holding candlelight vigils for Maria Chin Abdullah at Dataran Merdeka when the prime minister couldn’t care less about 50,000 protesters at Bersih 5.0 rally?
Perhaps the answer to the sudden release of Maria Chin could be found 17,143-km away. Hours after Castro’s death, Trump said – “The world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights.”
Two days after the death of Cuban revolutionary and leader Fidel Castro, President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to reimpose sanctions on Cuba that had been lifted by the Obama administration, if Cuba is unwilling to makea better deal for the Cuban people. Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, said that Trump would reverse US policy on Cuba if there are not greater political reforms.
Trump’s reaction was totally different from President Barack Obama’s policies which are only empowering US corporations and Cuba’s repressive regime. Unlike Obama’s soft policies towards repressive regime and radical Muslim terrorists, Trump demands the release of political prisoners held in Cuba and push the government to allow more religious and economic freedoms.
Guess what – Maria Chin Abdullah fits the bill as a political prisoner of Najib’s repressive administration under anti-terrorism legislation Sosma. Despite Najib boasting about golfing with Donald and gloating about chatting on the phone with the President-elect as if they were secret lovers, the Malaysian prime minister is extremely terrified of Trump’s unpredictable policies.
Was it a coincidence that Najib decided to release Maria Chin right after Trump’s tough stance on fundamental human rights and condemnation on repressive government? One has to remember that Maria’s detention was deliberately designed to send shivers down the spine of Najib critics, before the coming 14th general election.
Obviously, Najib administration freed Maria after careful considerations. The fact that cooperation between a corrupt party UMNO and an extreme Islamist party PAS doesn’t sit well with Trump’s anti-Muslim policy. If there was indeed a phone call between Najib and Donald, it’s likely that Trump had lectured the son of Razak about human rights and repressive regime.
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