Never-ending for Malaysia’s most sensational murder case

I think by now most Malaysians (except those who are not connected by internet) know about a young Mongolian beauty called Altantuya Shariibuu and her tragic death in this country on October 18th 2006.

However, if you are not from Malaysia and had given it a miss, you can 'Google' for her. Just type her name and read up Malaysia’s most sensational murder case. It is a real life story filled with lust, greed and deceit – all crucial ingredients to make Agatha Christie, the celebrated British crime writer, wild with delight. It is the secret dream of many a Hollywood film maker too, I believe.

There must be a valid reason to kill someone

What angered us was the outcome of her murder trial, which is not a surprise though.

“Whatever the motive was, it is a matter of law that the motive, although relevant, has never been the essential to constitute murder,” Shah Alam High Court judge, Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin declared on Wednesday in his 70 page judgment that disappointed the entire nation. Thousands of Facebook users immediately gave him the thumbs-down sign for bowing to pressures from certain quarters.

“I am satisfied that there is no prima facie for him (Razak Baginda) to answer his charge. I, accordingly, find the third accused (Razak Baginda) not guilty and order him to be acquitted and discharged,” the judge concluded, much to the dismay of most Malaysians (refer to Malaysia Chronicle).

I am not an expert in the field of law but I grew up reading Agatha Christie’s crime novels to know too well that for every murder, there must be a motive. There must be a valid reason to kill someone. You would not simply go around and kill someone for nothing, would you? Murder in Malaysia carries the mandatory death sentence, so with this harsh sentence in mind, no sane person would kill without a very strong reason or motive to do so.

Even when you slaughter a pig, a cow or a chicken, your motive is to eat the animal’s flesh. When you kill a mosquito, your motive is to prevent it from biting you (Aedes mosquitoes’ bites can cause dengue, which can be fatal). Similarly, when you kill a snake that got into your garden, the motive is to prevent yourself from getting bitten by the reptile if it is poisonous.

Third accused and his buddy are happy, but the 2 bodyguards are not

This verdict simply means the third accused will never be called to court to testify. He will remain happily in London with his family, pursuing his studies.

His good buddy or shall we call his partner in crime, will continue to call the shots in the country while his beloved wife will continue to go shopping for diamonds, Birkin handbags, expensive clothes and awards from some universities desperate for some business connections? After all, when you made lots and lots of money, you are tempted to spend them like there is no tomorrow, right?

Meanwhile, the two elite bodyguards were left to face the consequences. With their faces covered all the time, none of us knew how they looked like. It is possible that their places at the hangman’s noose will be taken over by some unknown drug traffickers. Then one fine day, the government announces that the two killers had been sent to the gallows and the case will now be closed forever! By then, most probably these two fellows will be on the plane flying away to another country with big fat compensations to seal their mouths and were told never ever to come back again!

RIP - perhaps when change finally sweeps through Malaysia

So, in telling us that there is no motive to kill the Mongolian woman, the learned judge is taking us for fools or simpletons. We wanted to know who hired the two elite bodyguards to kill her, the reason why she was shot in the face and then bombed into smithereens beyond recognition.

Unlike Agatha Christie’s crime novels where at the book’s end, we get to find out the motive for a murder and who the murderer(s) is(are), the chances of getting to the bottom of this whole story is rather remote, in view of the sad state of the country’s judiciary. Our law has collapsed and there is no place for the people to seek relief and justice.

The people’s perception is that justice and truth no longer prevails in this country anymore, again thanks to Mahathir Mohamad, the Father of Destruction. He destroyed our education system and he also destroyed our judiciary system left behind by the British – among two very fundamental pillars in a functioning society.

I really feel sorry for the family of this young mother. She has two young sons and one of them is a disabled child. They have lost their mother to a heinous crime committed thousands of miles away from their home and until today, her family has yet to claim her ashes for the last rites.

One can only hope that her soul will rest in peace one day when changes sweep this country but until then, it will remain a very distant dream.