The Murder of Altantuya

Written by John Berthelsen
THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2012

Six years on, troubling questions remain about the Mongolian beauty's death, and who ordered it

It will be six years tomorrow since bodyguards for now-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak dragged the Mongolian translator and party girl Altantuya Shaariibuu out of a car in a patch of jungle near the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam.

As she begged for her life and apparently that of her unborn child, they knocked her unconscious, then shot her twice in the head.

That was Oct. 19, 2006. According to court testimony, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, members of the elite Unit Tindakan Khas, both assigned to Najib’s office, then wrapped Altantuya’s body in C4 plastic explosives and blew her up, possibly to mangle her remains so badly that the fetus would be destroyed.

Sirul Azhar was interrogated by police shortly after the murder was discovered. He was informed that anything he said could be held against him, in accordance with the law. In his cautioned statement, as his confession was called in Malaysia, he told authorities he and Azilah had been offered RM100,000 to kill the woman and her two companions, who were causing highly public embarrassment for Abdul Razak Baginda, Najib’s best friend. The 28-year-old Mongolian woman, in a letter found after her death, wrote that she was sorry she had been blackmailing Razak Baginda.

If French police records are to be believed, Razak Baginda was allegedly central to a massive bribery case in which a total of nearly €150 million in payments were steered to two Razak Baginda companies, Perimekar Sdn Bhd and Terasasi Hong Kong Ltd.

As Asia Sentinel reported earlier this year, records seized by the French police show that former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and the French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe were aware of the transactions. Memos obtained by Asia Sentinel show the French expected at least part of the money to be steered to the United Malays National Organization, Malaysia’s biggest ethnic political party.

Read the rest here:The Murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu

Scorpene Never Dies

It sounds like a Bond movie.

Aside, Tomorrow Never Dies starred Michelle Yeoh, and Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond.

But the truth is, no Bond movie could potentially be as scandalous and licentious as the Scorpene story of Malaysia.

The Scorpene story involves plenty of sex, sharing of women between at least two high profile men, corruption of a monumental scale, the sale of highly confidential naval information to the French, the dramatically explosive (no pun intended) murder of a Mongolian woman.

Like I said, no Bond movie could come close to that sort of filth, and Bond movies are generally not known for child-friendly scenes.

Along came SUARAM, who hired French lawyer Joseph Breham to unearth the facts. He came up with a lot of worms. Read a summary of it HERE.

Now the Malaysian officials involved, namely the BN government, are livid with rage as this will no doubt affect the way people vote when they hit the polling booths soon.

The best way to get rid of this mess is to silence SUARAM. And what better way than to harass, intimidate and bully SUARAM with bogus probes.

There was a time when Malaysians could easily be intimidated. A time when the rule was not to rock the boat as long as the economy was going fine.

Times have changed. The “Scorpene Never Dies” Action Team is determined to help SUARAM keep the Scorpene issue afloat and to get the Najib administration to stop its obviously politically-motivated investigation against SUARAM.

A candlelight vigil is on:

Date: 25 Sept 2012 (Tuesday)
Time: 8:00PM
Venue: Dataran Merdeka

As usual, the authorities will deem it illegal.

As if anyone cares. Malaysians who care about their country will be there.

BAFIA or MAFIA?

Rafizi (right) has spearheaded PKR’s offensive against dubious financial dealings linked to BN. — File pic

SHAH ALAM, Aug 1 ― PKR strategy chief Rafizi Ramli was charged today with violating the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (BAFIA) in exposing confidential banking details related of National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFCorp).

I will concede that no one likes having their private matters being made public.

Certainly not people who have made a lot of money.

And more so, people who have made that money from dubious and/or corrupt practices.

NFCorp, and by extension, UMNO is livid that its reputation has been tarnished yet again.

I don't know why UMNO should be upset really. They don't have much of a reputation for being anything other than corrupt and greedy thieves.

Finding a legitimate issue to smear their name is no challenging feat at all.

Unlike the case of Teoh Beng Hock, who I personally believe had not committed any dubious practice at all and had to be fatally threatened in wild attempts to get him to confess to something he had not remotely done.

They dropped the poor fellow and wondered how to explain away a dead body at Plaza Masalam, that of a man who was due to be married that very day.

Incidentally, no one has been charged for his murder, which is far more grave an issue than exposing confidential banking details of corrupt companies.

How about Altantuya? Who has been held responsible for her death? Surely not a couple of commandos who did not know her from Adam (or Eve)?

Why were we told by the Foreign Minister that the Scorpene scandal was not a serious issue?

That is the worst case scenario when it comes to exposing confidential details, because it gives away sensitive defence information, which could amount to treason!!

Read what other Malaysians have to say to this, by the way.

And yet Rafizi Ramli is being put on the stand for something so minor.

The UMNO government acts more recklessly than even the Mafia!!

Translating The Gobbledegook

Razak Baginda may have motive to kill Altantuya but...

... the answer hangs in the air. Or in a 70-page judgment.

Most people don't believe he did it anyway.

They tend to believe someone else was responsible.

After all, you don't summon military commandos to resolve a civil matter of blackmail and stalking. You call in the police.

Of course, you certainly don't erase or confiscate all immigration records of her entering or leaving the country. Not when there are photographic evidences documented all over.

You don't get rid of the nuisance by blowing her up with government-owned C4 explosives. You file a police report or maybe even press charges in court.

Which is why most people tend to look in the direction of the defence minister at that time.

But hey, I'm not saying anything. No more than the 70-page judgment.

The Unending Haunt of Altantuya

Why is no one investigating Najib and Rosmah?

Why were there no records of Altantuya's entry into the country? Why did two unknown commandos with absolutely no motive get charged and convicted?

Can someone answer these questions?

This is the best piece I've read on the Mongolian model fiasco so far by Kim Quek

Raja Petra Kamarudin’s interview by TV3 last night is undoubtedly a piece of political propaganda aimed at cleansing Prime Minister Najib Razak’s taint with the Altantuya murder case ahead of the Sarawak elections two days from now.

Raja Petra’s interview was centered on an affidavit he signed on June 18, 2008, in which he claimed he was reliably told by his informant that Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor was at the scene of the crime to witness the blasting of Altantuya Shariibuu’s body. But Raja Petra now claims that he no longer believes what he believed then.

Let us be very clear on this issue at the very outset. The veracity or otherwise of that affidavit as well as whatever belief or disbelief Raja Petra may have over the Altantuya case does not add to or subtract one bit from the dark clouds that persist in hanging over Najib with regard to this murder case.

Failure of institutions

Such negative perceptions of Najib do not arise from so-and-so says this or that. Rather, they have accumulated over Najib’s own failure to conduct himself appropriately as well as the effort by our law-enforcing institutions to keep Najib out of bounds from due legal process. The overtly protective shield provided Najib is to the point of dereliction of duty and borders on criminal collusion.

It is these flagrant institutional failures as well Najib’s own clumsily evasive conduct that has deepened public suspicion. These instances are too many to enumerate, but we will mention a few to refresh public memory.

Starting with the police, there is no reason whatsoever why the police should have left Najib and his aide-de-camp Musa Safri out of its loop of investigation, when all the three accused were closely linked to the prime minister.

Police failure was even more glaring when it failed to act on all three of private investigator P. Balasubramaniam’s affidavits and video interview by three senior lawyers.

The information provided by Bala in these documents not only incriminated Najib (in first affidavit) but also accused Rosmah and Najib’s brother Nazim of forcing Bala and his family to flee the country with bribes and threats (recorded in video interview and submitted via the third affidavit). The third affidavit was in reply to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) written questions, and submitted in July 2010. There has been no response from MACC, despite written reminders by Bala’s lawyer.

What possible reason is there for the police and MACC to remain silent over these serious accusations, backed by details, against the Prime Minister and his family? If Najib and family are innocent, wouldn’t these law enforcing bodies have sprung to action in the first instance to clear the PM and family of such a horrible stigma?

Bizarre irregularities

The scenario in the court is even more bizarre. Revealing and critical evidence exposed in court was quickly smothered, instead of being pursued in the cause of truth and justice. The extraordinary part is that the attempt to bury these new evidences was not engendered by one or two parties but by all the three parties acting in concert – prosecutor, defence and judge.

One piece of evidence is the missing immigration record of Altantuya, and its erasure which hints at providing a lead to some high-powered involvement in the case. The other piece of evidence is an alleged photograph of Najib, Altantuya and the third accused having a meal in a restaurant, which if tendered, would have nailed Najib who repeatedly swore that he had never known nor met Altantuya.

This grotesque phenomenon of confluence of interest of all the judicial players in not pursuing the evidence can have only one explanation – Najib must be kept out of this case.

That justice might not have been fully served through the sentencing of the first two accused to death should be obvious, when the court never bothered to probe into the motive of executing the girl – and in such cruel fashion. It is not difficult to fathom why motive of murder was never mentioned in court. The simple answer is: there is none.

The two convicted killers, who were bodyguards to Najib, and trained to execute orders rigidly without question, had no motive on their own to kill someone they had never met. And since the third accused, who was accused of instigating the killing, was set free due to lack of evidence, then the remaining question must be: Who ordered the killing? Is it conceivable that the bodyguards had killed without order and without motive? Isn’t it logical to deduce that the mastermind and real culprit may still be lurching somewhere beyond the realm of the court?

It is clear that major questions and swirling doubts over the handling of the case are still unresolved. Until these are satisfactorily answered through a just court and an honourable police force, which can only be brought into existence through a complete change of political leadership, it is naïve to hope for the return of justice to the Altantuya family and the nation.

And until such time, Premier Najib Razak cannot expect to be free from the haunt of Altantuya’s murder.

Saving Private Interests

When I was still a young ciku, the world of cinematography yielded a somewhat popular WWII movie entitled Saving Private Ryan.

Being an American movie (and a Steven Spielberg one at that), it was highly dramatic coupled with generous infusion of patriotism and brotherly love.

In 1998, I was certainly much less cynical than I am today, so I enjoyed the storyline which detailed the arduous effort of rescuing a fallen serviceman during the Normandy invasion.

Today, in Malaysia, a similar effort is being exerted.

Individuals In Collusion With Raja Petra Can Be Hauled Up - Musa:

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said individuals in collusion with fugitive Raja Petra Kamaruddin can be hauled up under the law.

"We can propose to charge them for harbouring criminals but it is up to the court to decide," he said when asked what police (PDRM) were doing to bring Raja Petra home.

Newspapers recently ran a photograph of Raja Petra together with private investigator P.Balasubramian and Federal Territory Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Musa said PDRM could not act in haste to record statements from them as procedures had to be followed.

"We can't go to the country to detain him as it too has laws but this does not mean that we can't act.

He said although Interpol had refused to track down the Malaysia Today webmaster, PDRM had other initiatives and strategies to detain him.

It matters not that Interpol had rightfully reviewed the reasons behind this extradition and decided those reasons were not valid.

By hook or crook, the police - and by proxy the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional - want Raja Petra Kamarudin back on Malaysian soil so they can control the damage he inflicts to their reputation.

I hate to break this to you, but there is no brotherly love lost here.

Lest you think Malaysia has no serious issues (to the extent that the police are spending so much time on a futile exercise), we have had a young woman blown up with C4 explosives.

There has been no motive established, and her killers were identified as two commandos who worked for the BN government. Justice has yet to be served for that young Mongolian woman.

And then we had a young man fall to his death when he was pushed off a building. He would have become a father, but he never saw his son.

We have also had a number of missing children who may have been kidnapped and trafficked into other countries. Someone needs to bring them back to their families.

Raja Petra Kamarudin is not the priority here.

The Private Investigator's Comeback!

We need more than a spring cleaning in Malaysia.

Send The Murderers To Hell

Looks like no one is going to be sent to hell. Yet.

But the wicked will never rest.

After Our Holier-Than-Thou Image

Political Sex Scandals Rock Modest Malaysia

By THOMAS FULLER
Published: August 4, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Government censors in this majority Muslim nation have upheld an ethos of modesty by snipping sex scenes from films and banning entertainers from wearing outfits that reveal too much on Malaysian stages; bare belly buttons and figure-hugging outfits are off limits.

But these days Malaysians looking to avoid R-rated content might be advised to steer clear of news reports about their own leaders. Two top politicians are embroiled in scandal, one accused of sodomy and the other of romantic links to a Mongolian woman gruesomely killed in 2006.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, right, with his deputy, Najib Razak. Mr. Najib’s name has surfaced in connection with the case of a woman who was killed in 2006.

Reports on the finer points of a rectal examination and revelations about the sexual preferences of the dead woman make other sex scandals that once shocked people here — including Monica Lewinsky and her blue dress — seem almost Victorian.

This is not the first time that sex and politics have collided in Malaysia. In the 1990s, the sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister, featured, among other highlights, a bloodstained mattress being hauled into the courtroom.

This time, wider use of the Internet has helped disseminate documents, facts and rumors that would otherwise have been filtered out of the mainstream news media that are tightly controlled by the government.

The scandals encompass much more than sex; each is a potential career-ender for a man vying to become Malaysia’s next prime minister, with control over a political patronage system that dominates the economy.

Mr. Anwar is now facing new accusations of sodomy — a crime punishable here by up to 20 years in prison — at a time when he is making strides toward unseating the governing coalition, which has run Malaysia since its independence from Britain 51 years ago. His principal political rival, Najib Razak, the deputy prime minister and anointed heir to the current prime minister, has been persistently linked to the slain Mongolian woman, despite his insistence that he never even met her. She was shot and her body obliterated with explosives in the jungle outside Kuala Lumpur.

The defendants in that case are a former political adviser to Mr. Najib and two commandos who were bodyguards for Malaysia’s top leaders.

Tampering is suspected in both cases. Testimony revealed that immigration records of the slain woman had been deleted. Witnesses have dropped from sight, including a private investigator, Balasubramaniam Perumal, who said in a sworn statement in early July that the Mongolian woman was Mr. Najib’s mistress. He retracted his allegations the next day in a hastily convened news conference, and then disappeared, along with his wife and three children. The family’s two Rottweilers were left behind in their cages.

“It’s obvious what has happened here,” said Americk Sidhu, the investigator’s lawyer. “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist. Somebody needed him to shut up.”

Mr. Balasubramaniam, who worked for the Najib adviser now on trial, Abdul Razak Baginda, spent two months writing and revising a 16-page declaration about the case, based on conversations he had with Mr. Abdul Razak and, before her death, with the woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Many of the most salacious facts and rumors about both cases have been funneled into the public realm by one prolific blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, formerly a political associate of Mr. Anwar’s wife.

Citing sources in military intelligence, he issued a sworn declaration in June alleging that Mr. Najib’s wife was present at Ms. Altantuya’s killing. Mr. Najib called it “total lies, fabrication and total garbage” and a “desperate and pathetic attempt to discredit and taint my political image.”

Mr. Raja Petra was also responsible for leaking a medical report relating to the sodomy case against Mr. Anwar. The accuser, a 23-year-old former campaign volunteer, went to a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur hours before lodging a police report charging that Mr. Anwar had sodomized him. The medical report said he complained of a piece of plastic being inserted into his anus. The doctor who wrote the report, Mohamed Osman, said he found no active bleeding, no pus, tear or scar.

Since then, Dr. Osman also has disappeared. The hospital says he will be back on Monday.

The government has charged Mr. Raja Petra with criminal libel, invoking a law that lawyers say has not been used in recent memory in Malaysia and that, unlike civil defamation, can carry a two-year prison term. He has also been charged with sedition, and his house has been raided several times.

Mr. Anwar, who announced Thursday that he would run for Parliament in his quest to become prime minister, said in an interview that he expected to be arrested soon.

He said he had refused to give a DNA sample because he believed that it would be used against him. “There’s nothing stopping them from fabricating evidence again,” Mr. Anwar said.

Although Malaysians enthusiastically share the latest developments in both cases, some have grown tired of the graphic details.

“A good word is disgust — whether it’s sodomy or blowing up the Mongolian lady,” said the Rev. Wong Kim Kong, executive adviser of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, a group of Protestant churches. A narrow majority of Malaysians are Muslim, but the country has sizable Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh minorities.

Mr. Wong said the constant barrage of accusations made by bloggers, paired with the government’s steady denials, had left Malaysians pining for clarity.

“People just cannot trust the word of any of these people,” Mr. Wong said. “They cannot distinguish who is telling the truth.”

The scandals come at a time of great political uncertainty in Malaysia. The governing coalition, and the ethnic-based system of politics that it represents, is in disarray. There is simmering resentment among the majority Malays and the minority Chinese and Indians, and corruption within the government is rampant, despite promises by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to clean up the system.

Mr. Anwar has vowed to remake the country’s politics and revoke the authoritarian laws that, among other things, ban students from protesting, keep the media controlled and allow the government to lock up dissidents without trial. But he remains a polarizing figure who is not trusted by many in the elite.

“I think there will at some point be a crisis of legitimacy,” said Ibrahim Suffian, the director of the Merdeka Center, a polling agency. “The leaders seem to feel that they can get away with a lot of things so long as the masses are satisfied with the economic opportunities given to them.

“But the economy is so bad that people are losing faith. There is a feeling that maybe it’s time for major changes.”

It's Crowded In The Closet

We're a bunch of homophobes.

Stuff that. We're a bunch of pious and sanctimonious homophobes with an inordinately torrid fascination for ass-play.

Otherwise, our political scene would not be gaining this much coverage. The accusations flying back and forth wouldn't be this ridiculous.

The mattresses, apartments, Turkish embassies, Statutory Declarations (heck, did you even know what that was before every other Joe started filing one?) and private investigators have their claim to fame attributed to our curiosity.

The most efficient method of assasinating a politician's career is to subject him to a scandal like that. More so homosexuality, rather than an extramarital affair - or even corruption, for that matter.

Why is that of utmost importance? I do recall that Anwar also had a corruption charge to his name. (I presume that was Mahathir's back-up plan just in case the sodomy one didn't take).

Did he get cleared of that or does no one care, since sodomy makes for more salacious gossip? Or is it an accepted fact that all Malaysian politicians secretly have a tendency for "that sort of thing"?

Forget about the politicians. Even blog commenters with supposedly private lives live in the closet. One prominent blogger, who exhibits signs of being not-very-Anwar-friendly (ahem) has fallen victim to such cyber-abuse.

Two anonymous commenters (obviously cowards) have made some rather odd offers. "You back side is looking very attractive. Can I come in?" asks one. The other says, "U r hurtin' KT luvy? Come here, i give some manly-luv."

Distressing, indeed. They sound very repressed. Is this a result of our homophobic society?

Though I'm beginning to think this obsession is not limited to homosexuality. Remember the SD filed by the private investigator, the now-vanished-into-thin-air, Balasubramaniam Perumal?

Can you remember the contents of the SD beyond "susceptible to anal intercourse"? No?

I think it is time for us to do away with laws pertaining to what is defined as ‘unnatural sex’ in Malaysia. The state should not have a say in what people do in their personal life.


During one of my business trips when I was rained in, I took to watching the limited assortment of DVDs that the hotel offered. One of them was Bridget Jones' Diary.

Today, I suddenly recalled a conversation between two of the lead characters (who were in bed together):

Bridget Jones: Daniel, what you just did is actually illegal in several countries.
Daniel Cleaver: That is one of the reasons why I'm so happy to be living in Britain today.

Back then I got a faint chuckle out of it. But today I frowned and growled, "B!tches! They're talking about us!!"

In Malaysia, under Section 377A and 377B of the Penal Code, any person who has sexual relations with another involving the introduction of the penis into the anus or mouth, can be jailed up to 20 years and is also liable for whipping.

Ow. Some funky laws we have here.

But these laws, while necessary for keeping Anwar Ibrahim behind bars, have not exactly been applied in the case of Chua Soi Lek, who still roams free. Both are offenses under the Penal code.

Of course, the bias could be due to political reasons rather than the "offence" itself. Anwar Ibrahim is from PKR while Chua Soi Lek is conveniently MCA.

If you're still wondering who - yes, I'm referring to The Chua Soi Lek of the sex DVD fame, who has a blog called drchua9.blogspot.com (shouldn't that be 69, good doctor?) where he chides Anwar for refusing to give a DNA sample.

Gotta love the double standards.

Najib's Involvement With Altantuya

My pal Walski has put up a poll which I have been sorely wanting to create myself.

I'm really interested to know what you think.

Go forth and vote at myAsylum.

Blown To Kingdom Come!

I'm sitting at my desk on a drizzly Friday morning, languidly surveying the aftermath of the C4 expose during the press conference yesterday.

Yes, there was yet another Statutory Declaration.

This time by a private investigator, who hurriedly retracted the previous one and submitted a new one, casually omitting some sleazy bits.

At this point, I'm out of theories, conspiratorial or otherwise.

Everyone in town seems to be filing an SD - except you, me and Lim Kit Siang. Doesn't that make you feel almost deprived and neglected?

I can think of someone who's getting a lot of attention though. Good ole Najib, defence minister, DPM and purveyor of C4 explosives.

Personally, I think Najib's career is totally blown away.

Can you hear those loud booming sounds? But that's just the Americans celebrating their Fourth of July and exercising their constitutional right to set off fireworks. :)

In Malaysia, it's rarely about the truth because it is so elusive, and all about impressions.

This time, BN is getting a dose of its own medicine.

But more later.

Rosmah Present At Altantuya's Murder

Sometimes I complain about the minor issues in life, like say, random military fighter aircraft parts being brought into Malaysia under rather shoddy pretexts.

And then it hits me, we have more explosive issues than that to deal with.

No pun intended.

Who would have thought that good ole Rosmah Mansur, wife of the Deputy Prime Minister would have been present at the graphic murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaaribuu?

This latest bit of news also implicates Rosmah's aide de camp (or personal assistant) and her husband Col Aziz Buyong who was an expert on explosives and allegedly placed the explosives on Altantuya's body before blowing it up to kingdom come.

Now I understand that this Mongolian woman had been getting her way with men who couldn't keep their pricks in their pants, but really, was it necessary to blow her up using highly dangerous plastic C4 explosives??

The very cold and brutal manner of silencing a woman whose job it was to enhance communication is mind-boggling (to use a term much abused these days).

And it is evident, that those involved thought they could keep this nasty bit of news under wraps forever.

Najib's Blow-Up Shot

He's really outdoing himself.


Who on earth is his public relations consultant/advisor???

Raja Petra Goes To Jail

RPK's arrest has got to be the best advertisement for Malaysia Today, not that it needs any. Most Malaysians pay more heed to it than the local dailies, anyway.

Our silly government doesn't realise that even the apolitical are all agog to find out what the fuss is about the now infamous article, "Let's Send the Altantuya Murderers to Hell".


But Raja Petra Kamarudin (or better known to the rest of us bloggers as RPK) is in his element. He knows he has his following.

There's nothing to stop him from show-boating. And that he certainly is. :)

You think he can't pay the measly RM5000 bail? His refusal is merely to send a message to the government about how much support he has garnered down at the grassroots.

And his day in jail will make a hero out of him. Heck, I'm the eternal cynic and even I am impressed.

But I am willing to bet high stakes that RPK will not spend more than a day in jail. Bloggers and blog readers will be falling over themselves to collect bail.

The fact is, all of us Malaysians (at least those that utilise their brain cells) know that Najib and Rosmah are connected with the murder of this Mongolian model. It's coffee table news.

Heck, it's occasionally even dinner table news. We Malaysians have no qualms about discussing grisly details over a meal, bless our perverted souls.

RPK didn't say anything that the rest of us haven't blurted out at one time or another. But he has credibility, more so than our entire government, and the influence.

Someone out there is scared enough to try silence him and subsequently silence the rest of the blogosphere into submission.

I'm not alone in my opinion. The Tikus, being much smarter than me, has a very succinct and informed post on why a sedition charge for RPK is dodgy.

Go read it.

UPDATE:
Like I'd predicted, the RM5000 was collected even before the dude got charged. Rumours abound that at 7.30pm, the amount collected in Malaysia alone was RM24,500 - almost 5 times more than what was needed.

And if everyone donated RM1 like they were instructed to, it means there are at least 24,500 Malaysians standing behind RPK and his article.

That speaks volumes enough.

Razak Baginda's Outburst

By Little Bird

Kawan-kawan, there was much drama at the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial yesterday. Someone is trying to do a number on someone. There are no angels involved. Only devils. For a minute the case was adjourned and the courtroom almost cleared.

The newspapers were not allowed to report on what really went on. Only a portion of what happened was reported in the press. Here is The Star version:

Abdul Razak kicks and hits door at murder trial

Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, who is being tried for abetting two policemen in murdering Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, lost his cool on the 90th day [on Wednesday].

He had a dissatisfied look when his father Datuk Abdullah Malim Baginda whispered something to him before the hearing began at about 9.30am.

After the proceedings were adjourned for lunch, however, the 48-year-old political analyst, surprised all those present in the High Court when he suddenly kicked and banged the door with his hands.

He was also seen crying before his lawyer Wong Kian Kheong and mother calmed him down.

Before the hearing began at 9:30 am, Razak Baginda's father had whispered something to him. This made Razak angry the whole day. Finally, about three hours later, Razak Baginda could not stand it any longer and exploded. What did he say?

Reporter friends who were there said that Razak shouted again and again, "Matilah kau Pak Lah! Matilah Pak Lah! I am innocent! I am innocent!" Then he went into a mad rampage and kicked the chairs and doors in the courtroom. Even the Judge was shocked and did not know what to do. Both the defense lawyers and the prosecution team were also all shocked.

The story goes that Razak Baginda's father whispered instructions to his son to incriminate his former boss Najib Tun Razak. The instruction came from the Pak Lah camp. This was yet another deal they were trying to make - Razak Baginda's life for Najib's head. The story is that Najib is outshining Badawi in this coming general election. Najib may win big in Pahang but Pak Lah may win small or even lose his seat in Kepala Batas.

The Pak Lah camp may also suspect that Najib's people are working in the background to embarass Pak Lah in Kepala Batas. Hence the 'whisperings' through Razak Baginda's father.

TheSun newspaper carried the story, complete with Razak Baginda's outburst. However, the Home Ministry asked The Sun to withdraw their first run which carried the 'Matilah Kau Pak Lah!' outburst by Razak Baginda. TheSun had to withdraw thousands of copies of their print run early this morning.

Strange things are happening in the country, folks. No angels are involved. Only devils.

What Are Their Priorities?

The sorry state of affairs in Malaysia makes me incensed.

We had so much potential to be a really great nation. With our diversity and our capabilities, I'd have thought there were no barriers to what we could do.

But I was wrong. We are brought down by our own, if you can call UMNO and Barisan Nasional that.


They are selfish, parochial and sanctimonious individuals bent on hoarding the spoils for themselves and not sharing it with the nation.

They fear any criticism (because of their incompetence) and even any hint of opposition against themselves. They have no qualms about using public resources to their best interests, and not the interests of the citizens who are contributing (by tax) to their very existence in the first place.

The government has been wastefully deploying all its police to start scuffles with protestors who were marching ever so peacefully - until the police intervened.

Were those even issues to begin with? Because I assure you, we have REAL issues!!

For instance, has justice been brought for poor little Nurin Jazlin who was so brutally raped and murdered? When the case was hot and current, everyone talked about it and vowed to bring her killer to justice.

Were those empty promises? Posturing for the media and the citizens?

Shouldn't the police force then be putting all their efforts into finding the killer rather than breaking up peaceful protests and arresting prominent lawyers and activists who wouldn't even harm a fly?

And while I'm on the topic of lawyers, why is the A-G Abdul Ghani Patail personally prosecuting members of HINDRAF who have not been caught or even photographed holding any weapons, when he completely ignored the Altantuya Shaaribuu case where C4 explosives were used?

If the leaders and members of HINDRAF are terrorists, what do you call those who use C4 explosives to vapourise evidence which, inconveniently carries in her belly, DNA evidence of a sordid affair?

National security? Stability? For the love of God, there are people using C4 explosives for personal purposes! There's nothing than makes me feel more insecure than people running about with contraband items, how about you?

Just because Altantuya was a foreigner (and perhaps a naughty little one at that), should we ignore her right for justice? She was somebody's daughter, somebody's mother, and I'm sure there is at least one person who loves her and misses her very much.

And she was a human being who had every right AS MUCH AS YOU AND ME to be walking on the earth freely, without having to fear intimidation, much less death.

Does the government have its priorities right? Does the A-G have his priorities right? Do the police have their priorities right?

No. But they all dance to the same tune.

Because it is silencing the true voice of the people that keeps them in power.

And their interests are not in bringing justice to those who have done wrong, but abusing the law and invoking the draconian and inhumane ISA to shut out the righteous where they have no voice.