COMMENT | Attack on Rafizi's son shocking threat to public confidence

COMMENT | The assault on MP, former minister and past PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli’s son, stabbed with a syringe, and the accompanying threat is a shocking assault on public confidence, begging for an appropriate response from the police.

At a press conference in Parliament today, Rafizi revealed a threat made to his wife: “The message read: ‘Diam! Andai teruskan, AIDS!’ (Shut up! If you continue, AIDS!). The message had three syringe emojis.” Watch the video of the press conference here.

Rafizi himself has said that he thinks the attack is politically motivated and has emphatically stated he would not be silenced by the incident.

It may well be the first politically motivated physical attack on the child of a major politician in Malaysia, and raises legitimate questions of how and why such a daring, audacious attack in broad daylight can be made.

It is nothing but a challenge to the police and their duty and ability to protect the public against lawless activities, which needs an appropriate response by the police to get to the bottom of the matter and solve the case.

Find the masterminds

That means not only apprehending and charging the culprits but to finding out the masterminds behind the attack, what motivated them and bringing the full force of the law to bear on them, thereby restoring public confidence in the police, which has seen a steady public erosion in recent times.

If the police do not satisfactorily solve this case, while simultaneously protecting the victims, it will not only forever blight the force and the country it will also encourage copycat acts, resulting in political crime rearing its ugly head in Malaysia. No one wants that.

While politicians of all shades, led by the prime minister himself, have made appropriate remarks over this assault, the ultimate proof of that is that there is action taken and the case is solved to public satisfaction.

There has been a litany of high-profile cases which have not been resolved by the police. One of the most prominent cases that has seemingly reached a dead end is the acid attack on national footballer Faisal Halim in May 2024.

The acid attack and a disappearance

The shocking assault, which left the Selangor FC winger with severe burns, garnered widespread public condemnation and calls for swift justice.

However, in May 2025, it was reported that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had classified the case as “no further action” (NFA).

This decision was made after police were unable to identify any suspects, despite releasing a photofit of a potential person of interest.

Why close such a high-profile case amid a swirl of allegations made in social media posts? Why not push?

Another perplexing case is the disappearance of Pamela Ling on the way to the MACC office in April this year.

Her Grab driver on that day claimed that individuals wearing police uniforms stopped his vehicle, forced Ling to exit, and allegedly forced him to mark the ride as “completed”, Malaysiakini reported.

The lack of progress in locating Ling or identifying any foul play has left her family in agonising uncertainty and the public with unanswered questions.

A student death

While not a criminal investigation in the traditional sense, the initial probe into the death of student Zara Qairina Mahathir earlier also faced public scrutiny over its handling, with questions raised about the initial investigation.

This has led to calls for greater transparency and thoroughness in probes involving deaths in institutions, resulting in an exhumation of her body.

Malaysiakini reported that the post-mortem on the 13-year-old’s remains, who died on July 17, concluded after eight hours on Tuesday.

These cases stand in stark contrast to the investigation into the tragic death of autistic child Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin in December 2023.

While the case was complex and closely followed by the nation, it has moved to the prosecution stage, with his parents charged with negligence. This demonstrates a clear progression through the justice system.

Further out, there is the ongoing case of M Indira Gandhi, where police have not been able to locate her husband and daughter after the courts granted Indira custody of her daughter in 2014.

She is suing the police for RM100 million. At a recent hearing, a federal counsel said that the police’s duty of care is only applicable to those within their custody, a puzzling statement considering that the police have a duty to ensure reasonable public safety and enforcement.

Pastor Koh and Teoh Beng Hock

There is the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh and Pastor Joshua Hilmy. Both were cases of “enforced disappearance” in 2017 and 2016, respectively, according to Suhakam. The cases remain unresolved.

We need to remind people of at least one more case, Teoh Beng Hock, who died while in MACC custody in 2019. The case was closed in May this year.

One more thing which has a bearing on lawlessness. That is the unilateral action being contemplated by politicians such as Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh on mistakes in terms of flying the national flag and others, which can only be for political gain.

He had threatened to go to Penang with his Umno Youth members to purportedly teach a hardware shop businessperson how to put up the Malaysian flag.

DAP MP Ramkarpal Singh questioned the lack of action.

That’s intimidation, and any person who does that is breaking the law. Anyone who publicly intimidates someone else and takes the law into their own hands, no matter the purpose, must face police action. Otherwise, the act is encouraged.

Let that threat against Rafizi’s family be a wake-up call that acts of lawlessness, including actions by people taking the law into their own hands for whatever reason and by anyone, will not be tolerated and will face immediate serious action.

Otherwise, there will be no end to madness and lawlessness. We are all entitled to security, and the police must be forthright in their duty to provide it. No one must be exempt from the rule of law.

P GUNASEGARAM loves this quote on the law attributed to the Justinian Code, AD 533: “The precepts of the law are these: to live honestly, to injure no one, and to give everyone his due.”

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

'This is intimidation': Rafizi vows to stay course after attack on son

Rafizi links attack to whistleblower meeting on 'certain individual'

More MPs in solidarity with Rafizi after attack on son

PN condemns 'thug politics', in solidarity with Rafizi

Attack on Rafizi's son: Cops pursuing all angles, including politics

PM instructs probe into attack on Rafizi's son, politicians in solidarity