Behind closed doors a stirring
tale of treason unfolds
The Nation,
Thailand
3rd December 2000
WHEN a group of men raided two Malaysian army camps
earlier this year, it added another rumour to the chain of stories about Mahathir
Mohamad's determination to cling to power. A special correspondent reports from Kuala
Lumpur.
One of the most bizarre and sensational court cases currently taking
place in Malaysia is the trial of 29 Muslim fanatics on charges of treason and waging
war against the king. It has stunned the nation and fanned opposition charges that the
whole incident was staged by the government to discredit its political rivals.
Because
of the total suppression of information the government is in a dilemma to counter this
suggestion as no one believes the government anymore, says Mansor Mohammad, professor of
race relations at the Science University Malaysia.
"On the first day of the
incident, the special branch police came and asked me what I knew about Muslim
fanatics," Mansor said. "I told them Muslim fanatics believe they are working
for God and will be given help by God. The government should conduct an open inquiry and
not put on restrictions like charging them under emergency laws.
"It seems
the government leadership is stupid. The opposition is even saying that what the Muslim
fanatics did was criminal, but people don't believe the government anymore."
The
incident was like a "volcano" that erupted without warning: Malaysians woke up
on July 2 to news reports that left them in
disbelief. According to the media, a
group of fanatical Muslims, had gone into two army camps near the Thai border and carted
away thousands of automatic weapons and ammunition.
Led by a lieutenant colonel
and dressed in army uniforms, they fooled the sentries into believing they were on a
surprise weapons check. In the ensuing drama, a Christian army commando and a Hindu
special branch officer were brutally tortured and killed by the "fanatics".
The
episode ended with the army commander single-handedly disarming the leader in the rebel
camp and wrestling him to the ground. He was hailed as a hero and royally decorated.
For
weeks the public were flabbergasted when they read that "al-Ma'unah", an
ostensibly martial arts group, were actually Muslim extremists planning to overthrow the
government and establish an Islamic State. The torture and murder of the two non-Muslim
security officers were highlighted in gruesome detail. The message was not lost to
non-Muslim Malaysians, especially the Chinese.
PAS, the Islamic opposition party
that controls Kelantan and Trengganu states and which is mounting a challenge to Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling Umno party, was singled out through the
government-controlled press and media as the culprit because some PAS members were also
al-Ma'unah members.
The campaign against PAS faltered when it was pointed out
that some members of the armed forces were members too. When the opposition
counter-charged that the affair was a drama staged by the government, Deputy Prime
Minister Abdullah Badawi warned that anyone spreading such rumours would be charged in
court.
Without an independent and open inquiry, the truth will never be known.
The onus is on the government to prove beyond doubt its claim that Islamic fanatics are
trying to use violence to topple the government. Like the charges and conviction of
former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim by a biased, shackled judiciary, the on-going
court case of the 29 al-Ma'unah members for treason (charged under special emergency
laws) is a farce.
"Mahathir was trying to link PAS with al-Ma'unah in terms
of membership to show that all are PAS members and the government can therefore
deregister the party," Mansor said.
"Malays are now very anti Umno and
anti the government. They say the government is so low and immoral they will do this to
discredit PAS.
"During the first two weeks, people believed the conspiracy
theory, but that is not the case now. Even PAS is now saying that what al-Ma'unah did
was criminal, but the government has lost the initiative by not being open and free with
the press."
If anything, the episode only rekindles and enhances the
suspicion that whoever poses a threat or challenge to Mahathir's UMNO would be destroyed
at all cost. It calls to mind the vicious campaign and the eventual destruction of the
al-Arqam Islamic movement a few years back.
By 1994, al-Arqam, with its
leadership exiled in Chiang Mai, had grown into a formidable economic powerhouse with
assets of US$150 million (Bt6.6 billion) and investments in 17 countries. Al-Arqam was a
pacifist Sufi group, centred on economic activities and Islamic tenants, as exemplified
by the life of the prophet.
But they made a fatal mistake by challenging Mahathir
and Umno by calling it a party of thieves and robbers. The destruction of the group
began in early 1994 when the government dropped a bombshell that al-Arqam was training a
suicide army of Islamic fanatics in southern Thailand to kill government leaders and
take over Malaysia by force.
It caused a sensation in Bangkok as an embarrassed
Thai interior minister was hounded by the media for an explanation. The minister lost no
time in stating that there was not an iota of evidence to support Malaysia's claims.
Al-Arqam,
from its safe haven in Thailand, met the media openly and rebutted the charges, inviting
all to see for themselves.
"We are pacifist and do not believe in
violence," it protested. "Up to now, we have not even staged any demonstration
or protest. How can they lie that we are training a fanatic suicide squad to kill
government leaders?"
The relentless attacks from Kuala Lumpur intensified
with charges of sex slaves and child abuse, among others, churned out daily. On
September 20, 1994, then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar at a press conference in Bangkok
said: "Al-Arqam is anti-modern and prevents children from studying secular subjects
like science and mathematics, in this day and age. They can abuse us, we don't mind, but
when they abuse the children we have to take action."
The group countered
that this was "another blatant lie,".
"As the former education
minister, (Anwar) should have known better. Arqam has sent hundreds of scholarship
students to universities in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt and the Middle
East. We have doctors and computer specialists to run our clinics, maternity homes and
computer companies and productions. How can this be possible if we do not study science
and mathematics?"
(Just three years later Anwar himself became the victim of
vicious attacks and trumped up charges when he dared to challenge Mahathir.)
Earlier
on September 2, 1994, Arqam's leader Ashaari Muhammad was kidnapped in Chiang Mai by
Malaysian special branch officers assisted by Thai counterparts. Ashaari was hurriedly
bundled off to Kuala Lumpur in a helicopter. He was detained under the Internal Security
Act (ISA) and kept incommunicado.
On October 20, scores of news people rushed to
the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur on learning that Arqam leaders were having a
muzakarah (brotherly dialogue) with religious leaders and to confess in public and
repent for their deviationist beliefs. The session was chaired by a police special
branch officer and moderated by a brigadier general and a university religious
professor.
Ashaari confessed to all the accusations and thanked the police for
the muzakarah under detention which had enabled him to see his mistakes and get back on
the right path. He was freed on October 28 under stringent conditions. He now lives
under virtual house arrest and cannot make any statements to the press.
Today, 29
members of the al-Ma'unah group stand charged with treason under special emergency laws
which allow the prosecution to present any evidence.
The defence is not allowed
such liberty if the evidence is deemed to be a security-risk.
"This is
another government blunder. They should hold an open trial because the people don't
believe it is a conspiracy anymore. Even PAS says it is a criminal act," said
Mansor.
"It seems the government is not very smart."
It enhances
the belief in Malaysia that there is not only an uneven playing field, but that the
prime minister is most adept at shifting the goal posts.
