Let’s get our bearings straight on Rizalman’s case

Rizalman Mokhtar has denied taking any drugs and says he was only drinking Nescafe.

By TK Chua

The story of Rizalman Mokhtar’s “drug case” gets funnier each day. What is the position now? Was the urine test positive or negative?

If positive, what further action is being taken against him and the rest? If negative, how is it possible that the result was reported as positive earlier? Are these not the core issues that require answers now?

Rizalman has denied taking any drugs. It was reported that he was at the club, singing and drinking only Nescafe. Is mere denial a sufficient defence?

More than that, if his denial was credible, the people need to know how the test results could come up positive in the first place. Can an innocent person be so easily framed? If so, surely this would not be a good testimony of Malaysia’s enforcement agencies.

The police have also confirmed that MACC initiated the raid at the club against Rizalman and his friends. Rizalman reportedly said the raid had targeted only him and his friends.

Does it matter who initiated the “bust” against Rizalman? I thought enforcement agencies were supposed to work together to combat crime.

Similarly, does it matter if enforcement agencies are selective in carrying out raids? If we are arrested for drugs, can we argue why police did not arrest other drug addicts as well?

Enforcement agencies operate based on information received and the available resources, and of course, sometimes selectively. It does not matter so much if we are at the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s about whether we have committed a crime.

For Rizalman’s case, I think what the authorities need to do now is to confirm whether the urine test was positive or negative, and if positive, what further action is being taken.

It does not matter that MACC initiated the raid, nor does it matter if the raiding party targeted only Rizalman and his friends.

Similarly, it is useless for Rizalman to claim that he and his friend drank only Nescafe that night. Let the test results speak for themselves. If the test results are doubtful or suspicious, challenge them in court.

If someone reports a crime being committed somewhere, please don’t blame sabotage if we are arrested. A crime is a crime, it does not matter if someone had tipped off the police.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.