I refer to the press reports on the murder of a Mongolian woman who was shot in the head and her body blown up with explosives.

I have just returned from a business trip to Singapore during which I was asked by many curious Singaporeans: 'How is it possible that the police in Malaysia would allegedly be directly involved in such a shocking homicide? Are these blatant abuses of power sanctioned by the government?'

Even more worrying was that rumours were rife in the republic that a certain senior minister had ordered the hit in the first place for otherwise, how would one explain the use of explosives and the abduction of the victim in a high-end neighbourhood and in broad daylight?

I am also reminded of the infamous pepper spray incident reported a few months ago where several army personnel were discovered to be moonlighting as hired escorts in Kelantan. Even then, Malaysians were asking themselves, how is it possible that members of our armed forces can hire themselves out?

How, indeed? Suffice to say, the reputation of our police force is in shreds and Malaysia has plummeted to a new low in the eyes of the world. Even though the public been advised to be patient and to wait for the investigation to take its course, few of us really believe that the truth will ever be allowed to surface. I, for one, am not holding my breath.