Malaysians are mystified as to how Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda international terrorist network suddenly have such extensive reach and influence in Malaysia as to be able to orchestrate the assassination of the Lunas State Assemblyman Dr. Joe Fernandez on November 14, 2000 and the bid to rob the armoury of the Guar Chempadak police station in Yan, Kedah on Feb. 4, 2001 without the authorities knowing anything about it until three days ago, when Mahathir shocked the nation in his interview with the Japanese magazine Chuokoron and revealed that Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda terrorist network have recruited about 50 Malaysian operatives and contacts into its operations.
Mahathir cannot blame Malaysians for being cynical and skeptical about his latest revelation, especially his elaboration yesterday on his disclosure to Chuokoron, he explained that the information was gathered by police following police interrogation of a robber detained after the botched Southern Bank robbery in Petaling Jaya in May last year.
What Mahathir revealed was nothing new, as what he said had been announced by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Norian Mai on 3rd August 2001 when first announcing the arrest of eight members of KMM, which Norian had said stood for Kumpulan Mujahideen Malaysia/.
Norian had said that the police action followed the arrest of nine men after the botched Southern Bank branch robbery on Jalan Gasing in Petaling Jaya on May 18, 2001.
Norian had said at the time that the eight detainees had undergone military training in Afghanistan, adding:
“Information gathered showed that they have either trained as militants in Afghanistan or received such training as they lived in that country for some time before coming home to be part of the subversive movement.”
Norian said initial investigations suggested that the movement comprised more than 50 members and nine major criminal cases had been positively linked to them. Were these the 50 al-Qaeda operatives and contacts that Mahathir was talking about in his interview with the Japanese magazine?
Did the police know or suspect by August last year that the persons arrested were connected with the Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network, and if so, why did the Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Zainal Abdin Zin misleadl Parliament on 14th October 2001 when he said that no link had been established between the Al-Qaeda and the Kumpulan Militant Malaysia (KMM) while the Defence Minister, Datuk Najib Tun Razak declared categorically only last Sunday that there were no al-Qaeda cells or presence in Malaysia.
Or did the government make a policy decision not to take the people and the world into its confidence that the KMM arrests were connected with Osama’s al-Qaeda and a new policy decision was only taken a few days ago to identify them as part of the al Qaeda network for the Mahathir interview with Chuokoron?
If this is the case, then it does not speak highly of the seriousness and professionalism of the police and the government in the fight against terrorism, whether national or international.
The recent revelation that a group of terrorist suspects arrested by Singapore authorities last month attempted to procure 21 tonnes of explosives to build truck bombs and had conducted surveillance on American targets and embassies in Singapore has put South East Asia, including Malaysia, in the international spotlight in the war against terrorism.
Malaysians must show the world that we are serious in our stand against terrorism, whether national or international, as well as our commitment that worldwide concerns about terrorism should not be used as an excuse to clamp down on civil liberties and democratic freedoms of Malaysians.
DAP calls for the establishment of a National Consultative Council on Terrorism represented by all political parties, religious groups and NGOs to develop and implement a national consensus based on the twin objectives of snuffing out terrorism while not allowing it to stop or reverse democratisation in Malaysia.
(12/1/2002)