Harapan and the deep Islamic state

“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action.”

- Ian Fleming, "Goldfinger"

The dubious investigation into the “deep state” by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) is another example of the incompetence of the Pakatan Harapan regime. This is not so much an investigation, but rather a tactic to scare people not to talk about the bogus charges against the LTTE 12.

This investigation is akin to the investigation into the folks who brought back Chin Peng’s ashes, in that its sole aim is to further anti-non-Malay narratives of the state. When Malay politicians whine about the “deep state”, they are using the idea of a “deep state” as a justification for inaction or inefficiency for a non-Malay/liberal Malay audience.

It is sad that Lim Kit Siang legitimises the popular Harapan definition of the term, considering the fact that there is a deep Islamic state, whose aim is to subvert the constitutional bedrock of this country and turn this country into an “Islamic” state, even if it’s not the agenda of the Malay bureaucracy, royalty, plutocrat class or political brokers, whose definition of an "Islamic state" is relatively benign, if compared to the forces who are using it.

I dislike using the term “deep state” or “deep Islamic state” for obvious reasons, although the latter is more accurate than the former. Although we are talking about a conspiracy, it is easy for critics to dismiss the idea of deep state actors and the proponents of this theory as tin foil hat wearing apologists who are desperately blaming unseen forces for the deficiencies of the government.

Of course, the fact that the current government chooses to blame the “deep state” for their lack of political will and political chicanery lends credence to the argument that the deep state is the figment of the imagination of an inept political coalition.

The 'deep Islamic state' is a result of the vast religious bureaucracy, the doctrinal teachings of propaganda endeavours like the Biro Tatanegara (BTN), the religious education system and foreign influence, either through education or experience in foreign theatres of war.

What we are talking about here are 'travellers' who enjoy the support, either knowingly or unknowingly, of the Malay/Muslim political apparatus in this country, who believe they are setting the religious agenda, but in reality, are being manipulated by fascist elements with agendas of their own.

If the PDRM really wanted to expose the deep Islamic state, they would discover the whereabouts of the missing daughter of Indira Gandhi (above). As an anti-narcotics officer related to me, if the “bosses” really wanted to find Indira Gandhi’s daughter, they would.

Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy was on the ball when he wondered out aloud if the “deep state” was hindering efforts to retrieve Indira Gandhi’s daughter from the clutches of the religious operatives who had abducted her.

If the PDRM really wanted to expose the deep Islamic state, they would name the state security personnel and their handlers who abducted Pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat. Keep in mind that the Suhakam investigations laid the blame on state actors in the security apparatus, something which the prime minister dismissed as mere conjecture.

The disappearance of Pastor Koh and Amri Che Mat is something that goes beyond political parties and is evidence of malevolent well-connected forces at work. Whoever the abductors are, they were confident that the narratives of the state security apparatus would shield them from whatever repercussions of the former Umno state and, here is the important part, may very well shield them from the sanctions of the Harapan regime.

If you are having a hard time coming to grips with the “deep state” or “Islamic deep state” narrative, then you should consider our shameful activities in Wang Kelain. Wang Kelian is a perfect example of institutional corruption and governmental malfeasance that is conspiratorial by definition.

This passage from a Special Branch report about human trafficking and governmental collusion should tell us something about the how the state security apparatus investigates its own: "The enemy we have to fight is one that operates as an institution. We are dealing with institutionalised corruption so deeply entrenched that expecting internal disciplining is like asking the chief crook to rat out on his runners."

This is also the main reason why the deep state, through proxies, is fighting against the establishment of an IPCMC because an independent body could expose the confluence between the various state actors (political and non-political) and the state security apparatus.

Furthermore, it could possibly compromise (with the assistance of the MACC) various money trails that fund extra-judicial activities which result in hindering or destabilising the democratic processes in this country.

Look at the public faces of the state actors fermenting racial and religious discord in this country. The mufti of Perlis starts this whole LTTE fear-mongering and the next thing, we have politicians from the DAP charged for supporting a defunct terrorist group. The communist narrative, meanwhile, has everyone from the home minister to the fascists up in arms.

When alleged money launderer Zakir Naik (above) is not suing the Members of Parliament, he is giving “lectures” that undermine national security and go against the principles of our Federal Constitution. Not to mention that he has not met an extremists group which he has disavowed.

Especially when it comes to an operative like Zakir Naik, if the state security apparatus was sincerely interested in the intersection between religion, commercial and political interference, they would be doing a deep dive into the financial dealings of the man Malaysia has apparently no choice but to give shelter to.

All this gets lost in the endless news cycle of Harapan’s screw-ups, the machinations of the old maverick, the internal warfare in PKR and the complete vacuity of the DAP, which is supposed be the line in the sand when it comes to secular values versus the religious extremism for the non-Malay and liberal Malay polity.

When it comes to the existential threat facing this country, a good friend of mine from the DAP likens my anxiety to the optimism of the late Tok Guru who, before each election cycle, predicted the fall of BN. BN finally collapsed

The universe may reward my anxiety sooner than Tok Guru’s optimism.

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he is one of the founding members of Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan. - Mkini