Umno intends to send its Youth Movement members for paramilitary training.If so then what is the purpose for doing so?

We all know that governments involve themselves in clandestine activities. They even have ‘slush funds’ to finance activities that would be considered illegal. The British and American governments are no less guilty of these crimes as well. These so-called democratic governments of the ‘free world’ would just as ready finance, arm and train terrorist or guerrilla groups that are bent on ousting any government considered not friendly to the west.

Sometimes these ‘third world’ governments not friendly to the west, and whom the west wish to topple, may be legitimately elected through parliamentary general elections. And those groups that wish to topple these constitutionally elected governments wish to do so not through a parliamentary general election but through an armed insurrection. But that is quite acceptable to the west because those governments being toppled, even though it may have been done through undemocratic means, are not friends of the west.

So let us not feign surprise and pretend shock that governments are involved in illegal activities, including violence and terrorism. And let us not be naïve in thinking that only the ‘Great Satan’ or ‘Evil West’ does these kinds of things. Even our very own Malaysian government does this as well. And the Malaysian government too maintains slush funds to finance such activities.

Slush funds are of course approved by Parliament. But no details are tabled in Parliament. A lump-sum budget of a few hundred million Ringgit would be approved by Parliament and those managing this ‘special fund’ need not offer any details of how the money is spent. Invariably, the money spent would all be in cash so that no records would ever exist. The few hundred million just ‘disappears’ with no questions asked and no account on how it is spent.

Such is the way slush funds are operated, not only in Malaysia but also all over the world. How do you think they financed Bin Ladin and the Taliban and all those other ‘creations’ of the west that are now a source of problems for the very ‘masters’ who created them? It reminds one of the Dr Frankenstein situation where the monster the good doctor created comes back to haunt him.

Who do you think was behind Azahari who tried to topple the Brunei Sultan many years ago so that the Sultanate could be turned into a Republic? The plan was that this tiny but extremely rich newly-created Republic (after the ouster of the Brunei Sultan) would join the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak to form a new federation called Malaysia.

But Azahari failed, in spite of the backing he received from Malaysia, and he had to leave Brunei in a hurry or else they would have his head on the chopping block. And guess which country gave him political asylum and made sure that the Brunei government would never be able to touch him as long as he lived? That’s right, Malaysia.

And who do you think is training, arming, offering safe haven, plus giving financial support to the armed Islamic groups in Southern Thailand and the Philippines? Yes, that’s right, again it is Malaysia that is causing problems for its neighbours by fuelling the guerrilla groups. And some of the money comes from Saudi Arabia, Libya, Pakistan, etc. -- and we are talking about billions of Ringgit.

Now do you know why the Southern Thailand and the Philippines problem with Islamist separatist groups have gone on for two generation with no solution in sight? Talk to (Rtd) General Hassan and ask him about the guerrilla training camps in Sabah and you will be very surprised with what you are going to hear. (I wonder if he is still alive? In that case Nur Misuari can fill in the gaps.)

But I am not too concerned with all that. After all, this has been going on for 40 years. All our neighbouring countries know about how Malaysia has been meddling in their internal affairs and has been assisting the guerrilla groups. Why do you think Thailand helped Chin Peng and his CMP guerrilla army? That was a tit-for-tat for what Malaysia was doing with the Muslim separatists in Southern Thailand.

What I am concerned with is the latest revelation of the Malaysian government purchasing millions of rounds of ammunition and tens of thousands of pistols, submachine guns and stun grenades. And this is the Malaysian government’s ‘shopping list’:

9mm pistols & accessories
9mm submachine guns & accessories
7.62mm sniper ammunition
9mm para subsonic ammunition
9mm para hollow point ammunition
Stun grenades One-Bang
Stun grenades 7-Bang

Now, there is nothing wrong with governments buying bullets, pistols, submachine guns and stun grenades, even in the millions of rounds and tens of thousands of pieces like what the Malaysian government is doing. All governments do this, even the Malaysian government. But this particular cache is not being procured through ‘normal channels’. There is no tender being called for this purchase. It is being negotiated through ‘underground’ sources, the way illegal organisations or terrorist groups would normally do.

Why would Malaysia want to by-pass the official or legal channels in buying all these guns, ammunition and grenades? Are they meant for illegal purposes? Are they meant for onward transmission to terrorist groups that Malaysia is supporting? Or is the final destination of this cache of weapons Malaysia itself?

This is most alarming. They most certainly can’t be for the Malaysian security forces. If they were then the government would buy them through an official tender and from authorised or legitimate suppliers instead of through underground sources. But if they were for foreign terrorist groups then for sure Malaysia would not want to do it the legal way because then they can be traced back to Malaysia.

What is most worrying is the recent announcement that Umno intends to send its Youth Movement members for paramilitary training. Does Umno intend to train and arm its Youth Movement? If so then what is the purpose for doing so? And is this latest ‘underground’ procurement of millions of rounds of ammunition and tens of thousands of pistols, submachine guns and stun grenades part of this plan?

The Malaysian government needs to reply to all these questions. The rakyat can’t remain silent about this very alarming turn of events. We know that there are moves to buy these armaments. That, the Malaysian government can’t deny. To deny this is futile. But what we do not know yet is the reason the Malaysian government is buying them on the ‘black market’ and whether these would all finally end up on the streets of Malaysia in the hands of Umno Youth who would soon be trained on how to use them.

The Members of Parliament from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat need to demonstrate outrage. This is not just about swindling the rakyat out of billions of our tax money. That, after all, is only money. This is more serious. This involves the nation’s security. Government’s cannot turn rogue by dabbling in illegal arms and ammunition purchases without explaining what they intend to do with enough firepower to start a civil war in the country.

Lim Kit Siang, Anwar Ibrahim, Abdul Hadi Awang, and all those presidents of the non-Umno component members of Barisan Nasional…hello…can you hear me? Please get to the bottom of this matter and demand that the government explain itself.

Don’t deny it. Don’t issue statements that the police will be asked to investigate this latest ‘lie’ from Malaysia Today. This is no lie. We are aware of what you are buying. What we want to know is why you are buying them and what you intend to do with them. And why are you going onto the black market to buy them from underground sources if there is nothing sinister about what you are doing?

RPK
24/08/09