The object of an official inquiry, wrote Joseph Conrad in Lord Jim , is not the fundamental why, but the superficial how. Nowhere was this more clearly demonstrated than in the recently concluded criminal trial of the Al-Ma'unah members.

They were convicted of waging war against the King in connection with the deadly arms heist at the army base in Grik, Perak.

Alas, after 128 days of testimony and 61 witnesses later, with the public hearing all the grisly details (the hows) of the attacks, the fundamental issue of why remains unanswered. Until we deal with that, there is no way of effectively preventing similar incidents from recurring.

Much has been written on this tragic episode, with the authorities blaming deepening Malay polarisation, 'deviationist' Islamic teachings, and combative opposition parties for the presumed climate of hate in the country.

One social scientist even suggested that this tragedy reflected the persistent feudal mentality among Malays!

Defence Minister Najib Abdul Razak, in a self-serving Op-Ed piece written for a mainstream paper, blamed society and everyone else but himself. He also saw fit to congratulate himself generously in handling the crisis.

Deranged minds

These are all distractions. There will always be deranged minds and extremists in any society. America has its white supremacists and other radicals. The Waco tragedy and the blowing up of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City a few years ago are ghastly reminders of that.

The way to deal with such fringe groups is to develop better intelligence and effective security, not to trample on the rights of the vast majority of law-abiding citizens.

America's answer to the blow-up at Oklahoma City is to beef up security and vigorously prosecute the perpetrators, not to jail leaders of the National Rifle Association or cast aspersions on the opposition.

Similarly, the horrific Sept 11 terrorist attacks were due to the failure of intelligence and lax airport security, and not, as the pundits would have us believe, a clash of civilisations.

As for the climate of hate, there is plenty of blame. PAS labelled Umno followers infidels, and Umno retaliated by prohibiting its ministers from visiting PAS-controlled Kelantan and Trengganu.

PAS claimed their ulama (clergy) more righteous, Umno countered theirs more progressive. PAS followers confidently reserve their slot in paradise; those in Umno are scared stiff into believing that they are headed for the other place.

And the puerile debate continues. Tomorrow will bring even more juvenile and hostile postures.

Reprehensible pronouncements

Although I am supportive of the ideals of Umno, nonetheless I find the increasingly shrill pronouncements of its leaders reprehensible.

To treat the assets of government as if they are the party's (former finance minister Daim Zainuddin once proclaimed that public scholarships and contracts are for Umno supporters only!) is no way to endear the party to Malays.

Although I profoundly disagree with the politics of PAS, nevertheless I strongly support its right to express its views. Demonising PAS and other Islamic groups is divisive and counter productive, and only embellishes their already inflated sense of martyrdom.

To blunt PAS is not to ban its publications or threaten its leaders, but to counter its arguments.

Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat(spiritual leader) of PAS would have a better chance in persuading me to vote for him and his party if he can demonstrate some competence in modern management, rather than be obsessed with whether I will enter heaven.

It is instructive that PAS is successful only in Malay, backward, and underdeveloped constituencies. This hints toward an effective strategy: economic and social development, much like the nation's earlier victory over communism.

If I were an Umno strategist, I would bring massive development to the east coast states. Bring their per capita income up to the rest of the country. Cutting funds will not do it, and may indeed backfire.

Back to the arms heist, to think that some lowly soldiers who goofed their guard assignment could throw the nation into a tailspin is very unnerving.

That a ragtag gang of villagers posing as army officers could breach the security of a major base makes me ponder: Who else had access by throwing their weight around?

Security lax

The fundamental issues of lax security and low discipline have yet to be acknowledged, much less rectified, by the authorities.

Surprisingly, the intruders showed courage, initiative, and resourcefulness - all desirable leadership qualities. On second thought, perhaps they should be given officer's commission instead of being prosecuted!

The general who successfully persuaded the renegades to surrender was rightly hailed a hero. But what if he had been killed or held hostage? Imagine the greater crisis it would have precipitated.

To send an unarmed top commander to negotiate with heavily armed thugs was risky and unwise. Luck can sometimes make up for smarts, but not too often.

One way to get at the truth is to court martial the guards, their immediate superiors, and the commanding officer. Such a trial would reveal the security precautions (if any), protocol for accessing the arms arsenal, and overall disciplinary level.

These important issues are ignored at the recent trial. A court martial would also send a clear message: Lackadaisical performances and attitude will not be tolerated. This would be far more effective than all the public posturing and warnings.

Nonetheless the recent trial revealed much. For example, the guards had no communications equipment and the commanding officer was away from the base. Further, the guards were unarmed; they were not even in uniform! Did they expect to fight in their sarongs? What utter lack of professionalism and discipline!

It is incredulous that a bunch of peasants who believe that by chanting Arabic incantations would make them invincible could outwit the army of a modern nation aspiring for Vision 2020. These callous characters are right out of Conrad's novels. No wonder no one believed the news initially

Incompetent government

Many thought the whole event was staged, a charge that rightly incensed the authorities. I would have preferred that that wild rumour be true.

To me, a scheming government is less scary than an incompetent one; at least then I am assured that someone is minding the store.

If Defence Minister Najib has not yet punished those responsible for the lax security, then he himself ought to be fired for gross dereliction of duty.

The next time it might not be a bunch of bumbling villagers, but committed and technologically savvy followers of Osama bin Laden.

Learn something from this disastrous incident. This time send genuine generals to test the security of our bases.