KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Sit back and hope that swirling allegations pass by. Or come out strong to counter a poisonous campaign on the Internet against him and his wife.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor have opted for the second approach in their bid to protect their reputations in the court of public opinion. In the last week or so, there has been a noticeable increase in postings on websites and blogs alleging a link between the deputy prime minister and his wife and Altantuya Shaariibuu, the Mongolian model who was murdered in October 2006.
This buzz coincided with the arrival of woman’s father - Dr Shaariibuu Setev- in Kuala Lumpur to find out why the murder trial seemed to be proceeding at a snail’s pace.
Najib’s supporters also say that the Internet attacks have spiked since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made clear that he would transfer power to the DPM and Najib turned down overtures from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his intermediaries to force Abdullah to resign as party president now.
In short, they argue that politics is behind the drive to slander the DPM and his wife and they expect the attacks to increase in intensity till the party elections in December.
The allegations on the Internet centre round the murder of Altantuya. Two Special Action Squad policemen, Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, and Chief Insp. Azilah Hadri, 30, are charged with murdering the 28-year-old woman. Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, is accused of abetting them. He was a confidant and advisor to the DPM. This connection has been seized upon by Najib’s critics and political foes such as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to paint him as the villain behind the piece.
This week, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin alleged that Najib and his wife knew the model and knew of Abdul Razak’s problems with her. He also questioned the sanctity of the trial, noting that even senior politicians in the country had commented on the decline of the judiciary. In the past, his comments would not have elicited a response from ministers or senior politicians. Not anymore.
Najib’s press secretary shot a letter to Raja Petra, noting that the DPM would like to put the record straight since "there were insinuations and unjustified comments made against the Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak and his wife Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor in respect of the murder case".
"The article alleged that the DPM and his wife were implicated in the murder of the Mongolian girl, the Deputy Prime Minister supported her visas application, her immigration record had been erased and there were pictures taken with her. These are hearsay which you have deemed alright to publish as reflected by your position 'we too have conducted our own trial by court of public opinion and we have already arrived at our verdict'.
“Dato Sri Mohd Najib reserved the right in this 'public opinion' court to reiterate his earlier comments that he did not know and has never met the deceased. As such all these allegations are unfounded and designed to tarnish his standing within the Malaysian public.
“Dato Sri Mohd Najib has been very restrained and guarded in making any public statement on the matter since people known to him have been implicated and have been charged in court. It could be misinterpreted or seen interfering in the case since the court proceedings is on going ... Since the allegations are serious and damaging in nature, the DPM will not hesitate to seek legal redress on the matter," said Datuk Tengku Shariffuddin Tengku Ahmad.
He added that the matter should be left to the courts to decide.
Raja Petra has since hit back. Among other things, he noted that when Anwar was tried for abuse of power and sodomy, he had to operate under an unusual burden of proof – guilty until proven innocent. Najib, as the DPM, will have to face the same burden that the former deputy prime minister faced.
Datin Rosmah has also gone on record to address allegations against her posted on the Internet. “Whatever you read on the Internet, don’t telan bulat-bulat (take it as it is). I guarantee that all the stories on the Internet about me are not true,” she was quoted as saying in The Star.
“When I am patient and quiet, people resort to slander. I kept quiet previously thinking that people can decide for themselves but now even ridiculous stories are being believed. Fitnah (Slander) is not a small sin that can be easily forgiven especially when it involves trying to bring disrepute to others.
“Don’t believe those who use deceit to get positions. They are willing to fool the community to get what they want. May Allah forgive them and may they return to the right path."
Political analysts say that one of the stark lessons of Election 2008 for the Barisan Nasional was that rumours or speculation on the Net cannot be brushed off lightly. If left unchallenged, the allegations gain currency and become fact.
For example, Abdullah did not counter many of the allegations on blogs against him, believing that the masses would not believe the improbable stories about him and his family. He was wrong.
Today, he has to deal with the perception that his son-in-law Khairy Jamaludin is the power behind the throne and that he sleeps during meetings. Judging by their response, Najib and Rosmah know that silence is not an option in the face of a campaign to paint the DPM as unsuitable for the top job in the country.
Malaysian Insider
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