"Now that the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) panel has concluded the inquiry, there is no better time for the Harapan government to take the necessary action to resolve this issue – and ensure that such incidents do not happen again."
– Ronnie Liu (2019)
The response of former prime minister (twice) Dr Mahathir Mohamad to the Suhakam report was that the findings were merely hearsay and that all this happened under the watch of the former BN government.
The report concluded that state agencies, which included the police's Special Branch, had abducted Amri Che Mat and Pastor Raymond Koh.
Amri's wife Norhayati Mohd Ariffin’s application of a judicial review to make public the findings of a task force set up to reinvestigate the disappearance of the two men is just another step on the long road in an attempt to hold the state responsible for the disappearance of two Malaysian citizens.
As anyone who has followed the Suhakam proceedings would realise, the testimonies of state witnesses in the disappearance of these two men were deemed suspect and unreliable.
The fact that operators from the state were active in both disappearances and documentary evidence demonstrated tradecraft used by state security apparatus, meant that the Pakatan Harapan government which had touted transparency and accountability had to act, which they failed to.
Indeed, the classification of the task force findings as official secrets because it would be against national interest to disclose those findings, points to how the state is deathly afraid to admit agents of the state either under orders or operating independently had kidnapped two Malaysian citizens.
Of course, all this is speculation but what do you expect when the government classifies information of public interest as information which would go against national interests?
As someone who believes the state does have a right to classify certain information as “official secrets'', it makes me livid that such a vital tool for the defence of the realm would be used against the victims – families of Amri and Pastor Koh – and to shield the perpetrators.
Religious deep state
Then home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied he had anything to do with these disappearances, and I am inclined to believe him.
This could have been a rogue operation carried out by the deep Islamic state – which I have defined elsewhere – using state actors to carry out acts that these religionists deem vital to national security.
The religious bureaucracy is vast with petty fiefdoms, each thinking they and they alone are the holders of religious security in this country.
Hence, it is not far-fetched to assume such actions were taken without official approval but the perpetrators knew their actions would be made righteous if and when discovered by the political apparatus for various reasons.
Who had the power to order a tactical squad to kidnap Malaysians for whatever reasons? Who had the authority to issue such commands and felt secure enough their crime would go unsanctioned by the former Umno state?
Who had the political influence to concoct such a manoeuvre which bypasses the traditional state security apparatus and mete out whatever fate that befell these people?
Whoever these people are, they were confident the narratives of the state security apparatus would shield them from whatever repercussions of the former Umno state and, here is the important part, shield them from the sanctions of the brief Harapan regime.
How does it look for the government that the state security apparatus was so compromised, so willing to do the dirty work of the political masters like spying on citizens and the opposition, that they did not realise there were elements within their ranks who had the motive and means to carry out unsanctioned operations?
Furthermore, there are true believers in the state security apparatus who for whatever reasons, believe protecting those involved is part of their obligations.
What have we been witness to when it comes to how the state deals with religious plurality? It really does not matter if it is BN, Harapan, or Perikatan Nasional.
Police credibility all-time low
Also, let us be honest. The credibility of the state security apparatus is at an all-time low.
After the “our boy” remarks and the numerous scandals involving the PDRM, does anyone really believe the state security apparatus and political apparatus are willing to discover the truth or, in this case, reveal the truth?
After all, what the Suhakam proceedings demonstrated is that minions from the state security apparatus who testified were unreliable witnesses. It was also proven that the state had both men under surveillance.
There was documentary evidence that the kidnappers used the tradecraft of security apparatus – at one memorable moment going so far as to direct traffic – and that the state could provide no credible alternative as to who kidnapped these two Malaysian citizens.
To quote the late John Le Carre, “By repetition, each lie becomes an irreversible fact upon which other lies are constructed”. - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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