COMMENT It is not that we are playing down on Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s efforts to secure the release of four fishermen from Indonesia, but is this not supposed to have been done by the government whenever its citizens are arrested on disputed waters?

Why did it take Zahid, or the government, so long to interfere into the case of Sungai Besar fishermen? Four men were arrested by the Indonesian authorities, but only three men were released. What happened to the fourth person?

When three fishermen from Sungai Besar were released, Umno Sungai Besar Jamal Mohd Yunos, who is known for his inflammatory speeches, suddenly became a hero.

In the past, the fishermen were left to their own devices to secure their release. They were able to ‘kautim’ (settle with bribes) the Indonesian authorities, but now, it appears that even the Indonesian authorities are not willing to accept bribes.

Abu Sayyaf and RM12 million ransom

What baffles me now is that with the release of the four young men who were captured by the Abu Sayyaf, the public had raised a total of RM12 million to pay for their release.

According to Lau Cheng Kiong, the uncle to one of the hostages, the money was passed in 12 metal boxes containing RM1 million each to two police Special Branch officers? Who were these two? Where did the money go? Into whose hands were the money handed to?

I strongly suggest that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should step in now to investigate, since this huge amount is raised from public generosity. It does not need anyone to lodge a report before an investigation is being carried out. The news is already out there in the public domain.

Deputy inspector-general of police Noor Rashid Ibrahim, who is apparently unaware of the ransom money raised, should therefore order an investigation to find out which of his men were involved in the handling of the missing RM12 million.

This is public funds, coming from generous donors all over the country and it was meant to secure the release of the four kidnap victims. Both the family and the authorities cannot absolve themselves of their responsibilities, since the money had been contributed by members of the public from several countries, which include Malaysia, China, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan and the Solomon Island.

The reputation of the country is once again at stake because of the way that the money was handled. We are told that RM1 million came from mortgages on two homes in Pulau Li Huia, which means one of the families could be in debt to pay the mortgages for the next 20 years or more.

If the money had been handed to the two officers as claimed by the family members of the four kidnap victims, then the police ought to identify these two men and where did the money go if the Abu Sayyaf gunmen were not paid to secure the release of the men.

Shocking!

What comes as a bigger shock is that Zahid is saying that the money had gone to an unnamed Islamic body in the Philippines which Zahid said is unconnected to the terror organisation. How did Zahid know that the organisation is unconnected to Abu Sayyaf in the first place unless an investigation had been carried out?

How did the money end up there if it were not a ransom paid to secure the release of the four Sarawakians? In my opinion, the Philippine government should immediately launch an investigation into the Islamic body to see if it was used as a front for supporting the Abu Sayyaf terror organisation.

Pressure should be mounted on the Malaysian government to reveal the name of the Islamic body. In the first place, why is Zahid not revealing the name of the Islamic body?

In Zahid’s own words, it was not a ransom but a donation given to the Islamic body. Whose decision it was to give the public funds to an Islamic body in the Philippines, when there are so many other non-governmental or charity organisations, including Islamic NGOs, in Malaysia that need the money?

All this simply does not make sense at all. Zahid owes an explanation to the Malaysian public. In the first place, Zahid should be asked what action the country should now take after its sovereignty has been challenged time and again by the Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

Is our army not capable of working in collaboration with the Filipino army to attack the Abu Sayyaf rebels, the way we have handled the threat from the communists? Since they have intruded into Malaysian territories on a number of occasions and kidnapped both locals and tourists, why is the government of Malaysia seemingly doing nothing about the Abu Sayyaf rebels?

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.