Being On CIA Payroll

First published in HartalMSM

I've been on the socio-political blogging scene for about 4 years now, and a year prior to that just penning down random thoughts on a friend's blog.

Consequently, I have read a huge number of blogs and met a sizeable number of bloggers online. I've even met some in person via Malaysian blogger events.

So it came as quite a surprise to hear that Elaine Supkis was quoted as a "well-known" blogger because I hadn't heard of her before Utusan Melayu - pride of UMNO and all things lamentable - shot her to fame for proclaiming that Anwar Ibrahim and the CIA were in cahoots together.

Now I've read and re-read her posting, and I cannot decide if she was being tongue-in-cheek with that claim or attention deficit. She does, however, cite her source as "a Jewish editor of the warmongering Washington Post."

I love how specifically she names her source and produces evidence that goes beyond reasonable doubt. Not.

Utusan Melayu, bless their little rumour-mongering hearts, evidently did not think twice about crediting such a dubious blogger for the little nugget of information.

Now, they wouldn't be the first to make such wild allegations. Big Dog, a Malaysian blogger with a penchant for the ludicrous and nonsensical rambles on about the special treatment that Anwar Ibrahim receives from the USA.

Yes, he does have the tendency to ramble on. So much so that he ought to be called Rambo. Minus the muscles, of course.

He can afford to ramble. While I concede that he is at least somewhat of a "well-known" blogger, he is not burdened with journalistic responsibility. Well, he certainly does not take it upon himself to burden himself.

Utusan Melayu, which is a national mainstream broadsheet, amusingly has no qualms about completely shedding whatever morsel of dignity it may have ever had or stripping itself of all credibility.

John Malott is an ex-American ambassador who has had enough of rumours flying back and forth. His letter, regarding the claims of Anwar Ibrahim being a CIA agent challenges the government full on for fanning those rumours.

I have yet to hear a peep out of the government over this. The BN government is afflicted with selective hearing.

They are also sorely lacking in the power of deduction.

It is easy to make allegations, but difficult to produce supporting evidence. In the case of Anwar Ibrahim, it is hard to believe he is privy to such sensitive information, to begin with.

Throughout history, spooks (known in some circles as 'spies' or 'secret intelligence agents') have generally worked behind the scenes, living lives of blissful anonymity. To obtain information, one has to look as unassuming and harmless as possible to gain the trust of those whose boundaries they plan to violate.

Anwar Ibrahim certainly does not fit the role. He is thrust too deep into the public eye and has a schedule which is far too rigid for that.

Moreover, he does not possess a compelling reason to 'spy' on Malaysia for the Americans.


Take Aldrich Ames for example. He was an American mole, once working for the CIA and posted to Russia during the cold war.

Aldrich Ames' compelling reason was money. He had run himself into so much debt that he was looking for a way to make more money to pay off those debts. That's when he became a double agent. Because he was the guy next door, no one suspected him of being a turncoat - not even his colleagues in the CIA, until it was too late.

Most of us know that Anwar Ibrahim aspires to be the next Prime Minister. Some of us think his ambitions come at whatever cost, and are thus wary. Perhaps a few think that this ambition is sufficient to motivate him to betray the nation.

That being said, while I love this country, I will have to admit that its significance by international standards is hardly big. We are not what Russia was to the Americans and British. We are not even what Cuba and Argentina were to the Americans.

There is not much to betray.

Perhaps what I like about this nation is that we really don't have any notable enemies. Not even Singapore, even though many Malaysians I know have harboured a desire to add arsenic to the water we supply to Singapore. That desire has since tapered off, along with memories of Pedra Branca.

All kinds of allegations and accusations can be made against various individuals, by bloggers and mainstream media alike. However, we need to discern what makes sense and what doesn't.

In the case of Anwar Ibrahim being a CIA agent, I would suggest that even overactive imaginations lay that matter to rest as the very notion of it is ridiculous.