Letter from Kuala Lumpur
Quite what the police were thinking has never officially been disclosed. For happily, the Malaysian judiciary lived up to its reputation to “do the right thing”: Baginda was freed, without having to give evidence at trial and left for the more agreeable surroundings of Oxford.
Private Eye No. 1267 20 August – 2 September 2010
This summer, the Malaysian navy took delivery of the second of two French submarines, ordered in a contract that is generating something of a stink in our usually reserved society. French delivered our second submarine. Rumours abound that one does not dive and the other does not resurface. But that’s not the only submarine story that has been making waves.
In late 2006 the remains of a 28 year old Mongolian translator, and sometime model, Altantuya Shaariibuu were found in jungle outside our glittering capital. The culprits, according to the initial police investigations, were two officers from the Police Special Action Force assigned to English-public-school educated Najib Razak, then defence minister and deputy PM and since 2008 our Prime Minster. Matters became all the more curious when a third man, Razak Baginda, a defence analyst and who was linked to Najib was arrested for with abetting the murder.
Quite what the police were thinking has never officially been disclosed. For happily, the Malaysian judiciary lived up to its reputation to “do the right thing”: Baginda was freed, without having to give evidence at trial and left for the more agreeable surroundings of Oxford. Despite a lack of apparent motive on the part of the two hapless policemen, they were found guilty and sentenced to death, following Malaysia’s longest ever trial.
In days gone by that might have been the end of the story, in a country with an acquiescent press, where even the victim’s name and cartoons alluding to the story are banned. Alas, we now have the internet and awkward allegations have a habit of tumbling out – “First world infrastructure and third world mentality” as a former PM observed.
What has emerged is a story with more implausible plot turns than a Jeffrey Archer novel. Altantuya had been romantically involved with Baginda, and according to her family, had been pregnant at the time of her murder. She had apparently been promised US$500,000 for her work during an arms deal in 2002. Baginda had since stopped the liaison, but Altantuya had found out about his US$150 million commission and had come to Kuala Lumpur to press for her share. According to one version, she was last seen being bundled into a car by the two policemen outside Baginda’s home after “causing a disturbance”.
The defence deal, valued at about US$1 billion was with French contractors Thales and DCN, now under investigation themselves in Paris. Najib, who retained the defence portfolio after his promotion to PM, was instrumental in securing the deal. Baginda was paid handsomely for his efforts through Perimekar, the company he owned with his wife. Perimekar, was formed in 2001, just before the submarine deal. With no experience in defence matters, speculations abound that its sole purpose was to collect the huge commission. The payment for “coordination and support services” may not be an issue that our Government wants investigated, but the lodging of complaints in a Paris court in July, have resurrected the story.
Our Government shrugs off accusations in a well practiced manner. But despite its feel-good messages, gleaming towers and lavish mosques, our dream to become a ‘developed country’ by 2020 increasingly appears myopic. In the last year our foreign investments have dropped by 80%, our foreign exchange reserves by nearly 25% and our national debt has increased by 50%. With our oil running out, even a government minister says we’ll be bankrupt by 2019. Little wonder that 300,000 have left since 2008.
Nobody alleges impropriety directly against the PM. But the ethnic Malay right wing within his own coalition, encouraged by the octogenarian bête noir and friend of Mugabe, former PM Mahathir Mohamed, has a different view. Unless the leaks can be stopped, it may be that the submarine scandal ends up benefitting some of our most entrenched and least progressive elements.
