The recent arms-heist by a number of men dressed up as army officers in Grik, Perak has finally ended after a tense stand-off in the jungle and the killing of two hostages as well as the wounding of several security personnel.

In the wake of the debacle, many Malaysians have been wondering aloud about what really happened during the four days after the arms heist itself and what the facts really are. Even the mainstream media in the country have been vocal for once, calling for transparency and accountability on the part of the government, the defence minister and the police chief.

From the meagre crumbs of information that have been gathered so far, we know that the men concerned were led by an ex-army officer who also happens to be a member of a local silat (martial arms) association called al-Ma'unah. The media has been quick to point out that the group performs all kinds of spectacular activities like ritual "burning" of its members, "bathing" in boiling oil as well as other supernatural hi-jinks like "psychic attacks" and "mental defences". (In fact, there is nothing unusual about all this. Most, if not all, silat associations in the country practice such outlandish things anyway).

But more disturbing to note was the warning given by Lim Kit Siang, chairman of the DAP party, when he raised the question of whether the whole operation might just be a mere 'decoy' or part of a plan to suggest "that some of the existing political parties could be implicated in the arms heist". For now, the police claim to have in their possession important documents which they think will help them uncover the true intentions of the group. No links have been made with any of the opposition parties in the country - yet.

However those who have a keen memory may well recall that not too long ago there was an attempt to implicate members of a certain Malaysian Islamic party with the activities of so-called "Islamic fundamentalists extremists" and "militants" who were said to be poised on the verge of a violent revolution in the country.

In 1980, members of the Islamic party PAS were accused of being involved in a shadowy militant organisation called the Pertubuhan Angkatan Sabillullah. This happened after the Kedah farmers riots on Jan 23, 1980 when thousands of Malay farmers demonstrated against the government in the town of Alor Star. The demonstration was against the government's proposal to introduce a forced savings scheme through a coupon system.

The scheme proved universally unpopular with both pro-Umno and pro-PAS farmers, who demonstrated against the government and demanded a RM10 increase in the price of rice instead. The Kedah state authorities responded by calling on the armed forces, the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and the Police Field Force (Polis Hutan) to disperse the demonstrators and arrest their leaders. By the end of the demonstrations 90 farmers were arrested.

In the days that followed the government launched a media-orchestrated attack against PAS, claiming that PAS leaders and activists had masterminded the demonstrations. Seven PAS leaders, including a PAS state assemblyman, were arrested. Apart from PAS, the government also claimed that another radical Islamist group called the Pertubuhan Angkatan Sabillullah was behind the violent riots.

The mainstream media then began to claim that "subversive Islamist elements" were planning to launch a campaign of violence and terror in the state. During the round-up of Islamist activists and leaders, the PAS Ulama Ustaz Othman Marzuki was arrested and accused of masterminding the Pertubuhan Sabilullah.

The fact that this shadowy militant movement happened to have the same initials as the Islamist party (i.e. PAS) meant that both were being tarred with the same brush. PAS leaders argued that the whole story had been cooked up by the media and that this was a blatant attempt to demonise the image of Islamist movements in the country.

On Oct 14, 1988, PAS was once again in the headlines. After a massive security operation codenamed "Operasi Kenari", 31 members and supporters of the party were rounded up and detained under the Internal Security Act.

"Ops Kenari 88" was launched after a series of confrontations between members of PAS and Umno as well as the government's security and intelligence services in the states of Kedah and Perak. After the violence and bloodshed of the Lubuk Merbau and Memali incidents, tension had developed in the state of Kedah in particular.

Local PAS members claimed that Umno leaders were looking for a convenient pretext to declare a state of emergency in the state, or to use the ISA in order to neutralise the party in Kedah. Things came to a head when disputes arose about the activities that were taking place at the PAS seminary Muassasah Darul 'Ulum.

The Muassasah Darul 'Ulum was one of the centres of PAS Tarbiyyah (educational) activity in the state of Kedah. By 1988 it was well known to a large number of young PAS members and supporters from all over the state. In October, the Special Branch based in Kedah were receiving complaints from Umno members about the activities that were taking place in the Muassasah Darul 'Ulum. It was alleged that members of Pemuda PAS were gathering a stockpile of arms that were hidden in a cache under the floor of the Muassasah.

The Special Branch was asked to investigate the matter, but they soon encountered resistance from the PAS members themselves. Scuffles broke out when the police tried to enter the building by force. When the police were finally given permission to enter the Muassasah, they found that their investigations were hampered by the fact that the floor was actually covered with cement. It was obvious that there were no weapons to be found under the floor of the building itself.

Both the members of the state security forces and Pemuda PAS were worried that the situation might escalate into another violent encounter such as the one at Memali. Local PAS leaders like Ustaz Halim Arshat and Ustaz Othman Marzuki arrived on the scene to clarify matters with the police. Nonetheless, a tight and visible security presence was maintained. When the situation failed to improve, the Kedah chief minister intervened directly by asking the head of the state's silat gayong (martial arts) organisation Cikgu Majid Mohd Isa to go to the Muassasah and assess the situation.

When the Cikgu arrived on the scene, he declared that the state security forces had over-reacted and warned them not to 'stir the hornets nest'. Cikgu Majid and the PAS members then organised an impromptu martial arts contest and demonstration, which led to hundreds more people (mostly young men) congregating at the Muassasah. The whole chaotic affair ended when the Special Branch and police closed down the silat performance and ordered the crowd to disperse. None of the allegations against the PAS members housed at the Muassasah were proven.

Shortly after the incident at the Muassasah, a number of other accusations were made against PAS members. After a recreational centre at Sik was burned down, the authorities were quick to put the blame on PAS "militants" whom they accused of trying to disrupt the UMNO Semarak rally that was scheduled to take place in the town nearby. PAS members were also accused of wanting to seek revenge against the state government after the Muassasah Darul 'Ulum affair. The police and Special Branch responded by cracking down on the PAS activists in the state immediately by launching "Operasi Kenari".

Between Oct 14 to Nov 10, the security forces apprehended 31 members and supporters of PAS in the states of Kedah and Perak. Six pistols were found, along with three hand grenades, various explosive devices and ammunition. The entire operation took over 28 days and its cost was estimated at RM500,000.

Among those arrested and later detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) were Mohammad Rus Jaafar, Shahrul Fuadi Zulkifli, Shamsul Bahrin Shaari and Shamsul Kamal Jamhari. They were all prominent PAS activists and members of the youth division of the party.

What was even more interesting about the entire operation was the way that the members of PAS were depicted in the official press and the mainstream media. Those accused and detained were described as "mujahidin" militants who were planning to start a campaign of "holy terror" in the state.

In the same way that other PAS leaders had been linked to shadowy Islamist militant and terrorist organisations in the past- such as the Pertubuhan Sabilullah and the Jundullah movement during the crises of the 1980 Kedah farmers riots and the nation-wide crackdown of 1987- PAS members were once again being cast as Islamic "terrorists" and "militants" who were a threat to national security and racial harmony in the country. The net result of the whole operation was that it further intensified the confrontation between PAS and the Umno-led Federal government, and painted the conflict as a battle between the forces of militant Islam against the state.

More than 20 years after the riots in Kedah, it seems that yet another wave of "Islamic fundamentalism" is about to hit the country. Just who these mysterious "Islamic fundamentalists" happen to be remains an open question. The fact that the Malaysian public has been kept in the dark about the entire episode in Grik does not help to bolster the confidence of the public in general. The opposition parties in particular are worried that this whole episode may presage something even bigger, with greater consequences for all.

The government could do itself a favour by coming out with the truth, even if it may be embarrassing to some senior politicians in the cabinet. However, judging by the pattern that has been set in the past, the signs of the present do not augur well for the future.