COMMENT | The police have a suspect in the pastor Raymond Koh kidnap case but where are the kudos?

I don’t blame Suhakam for stopping their inquiry into the abduction of Koh. By law, the inquiry has to cease when a suspect is charged. The police have a suspect, though many are suspicious of the police story.

You have to question the timing and wisdom of the police in charging the accused in the midst of an important Suhakam inquiry. Could they not have waited until Suhakam has completed its inquiry in a matter of weeks?

What is the hurry when the family of Koh have been left in ‘suspended animation’ without any real answers from the police all this while? They were not told about this until Suhakam informed the inquiry of the change in the charge sheet of the arrested former Uber driver - from section 285 (extortion) of the Penal Code to section 365 (kidnapping).

Maybe that’s police standard operating procedure (SOP) to keep everyone guessing.

In Australia, after a spate of violent incidents involving African migrants, the Melbourne deputy police chief spent time answering media questions and informing the public on what was happening to allay concerns, dispel rumours and instil public confidence in the police. It is standard protocol for a high-ranking police officer to hold crucial and routine media sessions.

In Malaysia, silence may be golden but not when matters of public concern require regular police briefings. The kidnappings are of national concern. The government has yet to show leadership in restoring public confidence that no citizen can be a target of anyone over religion.

The calling of witnesses and hearing their testimonies by Suhakam would peel away the layers of doubts and confusion partially caused by unfounded rumours. Why not wait until every witness has testified and filled in the pieces of the puzzle?

Koh’s disappearance is no longer a simple case of kidnapping but many believe it poses a serious threat to public safety. There appear to be powerful invisible hands at work. It is the latest development in a country of worsening religious tolerance exacerbated by the disappearance of three other citizens engaged in religion. It can’t be a coincidence. It can’t be alien abductions.

The police must prove beyond doubt that the suspect is not a scapegoat and get to the bottom of a mystery that should have been solved by now. A story that does not hold water will tarnish the reputation of the police for sloppy standards.

To most of us who have seen the CCTV footage - and I did opine on it in Malaysiakini shortly after the incident - there is more than meets the eye. The public perception is the kidnapping of Koh could not have been carried out by a novice. It was a slick, military-style operation.

It involved precision planning and the deployment of resources beyond the capability of an ordinary individual. Who in the country is capable of such manoeuvres? Does Uber offer its drivers such training? Where does one learn to carry out an abduction like that?

Son unearths video evidence

Look at all the kidnap cases in the country and I doubt there is anything similar to the kidnapping of Koh in its execution.

It is all in the body language and the authoritative manner in which the kidnappers controlled the scenario brings to mind a well-rehearsed operation by trained personnel. You see it in the movies, you see it in real life and you saw it in the video footage of Koh’s kidnapping in broad daylight. Do the police expect us to believe in tooth-fairies?

There are some aspects of the police inquiry into Koh’s disappearance that leave much to be desired. For a start, the CCTV footage of the kidnapping of Koh was located by his son who painstakingly went door-to-door looking for such evidence after a brainwave.

The police have not restored public confidence that every citizen should feel safe going about their normal activities without fear of being kidnapped. And that is the most disappointing result of the police performance in relation to Koh’s case.

The Suhakam inquiry could perhaps investigate, besides seeking evidence of state-sanctioned involvement, if there is a covert agenda to also kidnap individuals who the perpetrators consider a threat to their ideas and agenda.

There is a lot of false information bandied around by religious preachers. I was shocked when a Muslim friend proved her ignorance by saying things about another religion which is entirely false. We have seen the likes of Zakir Naik peddling false news and false teachings on other religions. Who knows if some misguided person would resort to some hostile act on the basis of the false teachings? All it needs is a trigger.

Why kidnap a pastor?

Why do people appear, gauging from readers’ comments on social media, to doubt the police story?

For a start, no kidnapper worth his salt, who goes to the extent of preparing the sophisticated operation involving at least a couple of SUVs and several people, would target a pastor. There are richer pickings and no real kidnapper would kidnap a pastor on a modest stipend, not especially one who is a doer of good works.

The Chinese psyche is you leave those who serve God alone; and robbers and kidnappers target fat cats, not pastors or Buddhist or Hindu priests, many of whom survive like a church mouse, often living on small salaries, public offerings or by faith.

Where is the ransom demand? Kidnappers often demand a ransom within a short time. This is their modus operandi. But why was there no word from the kidnappers? Does anyone believe Koh’s kidnapping was for money? These are questions the police will find answers to, no doubt.

Reading snippets from the media accounts of Koh’s wife Suzanne and family members, the police have not been forthcoming with news on their investigations. It has tested the patience of a distraught wife who because of her Christian convictions walked the second mile to be nice to one police investigating officer. She even apologised on an occasion as reported in a Christian online magazine.

PM Najib Razak once claimed to be the ‘PM for all’ at a Christmas function, so why is he so elegantly silent over Koh’s kidnapping? Should he not use his office to leave no stone unturned to find Koh and his kidnappers?

Three others missing

We are our brothers’ keepers and what happens to one citizen in the nature of such an incident should upset us all. I will be upset if a Muslim cleric or Hindu priest is kidnapped and the distraught family left in the lurch. Suzanne Koh is fortunate in that many Christians and well-wishers have rallied around her.

Whoever concocted the idea of kidnapping Koh must now be ruing the day he thought of the evil plan. Things haven’t panned out the way they intended and martyrs are the worst of their nightmares.

While Koh’s case is much publicised, we should not forget the other three missing persons - Amri Che Mat, pastor Joshua Hilmy and his wife Ruth Sitepu. Their disappearance at roughly the same time raises more disturbing questions.

Were they victims of a covert operation? Do the police have any idea who is likely behind their alleged kidnapping? After all, in the case of Koh, he had received a previous threat.

The police have to be more proactive in restoring public confidence. No one should doubt that Malaysia has one of the best intelligence gathering networks anywhere. It does boggle the mind that the police took such a long time after Koh’s kidnapping to charge a part-time Uber taxi driver.

Meanwhile, many in the public remain incredulous.

Still, the police have a tough task ahead and it is hoped that the truth will somehow surface. In Malaysia, the truth can often be stranger than fiction. Then again, fiction is often what you get when the truth is itself a kidnap victim.

STEVE OH is the author of the novel ‘Tiger King of the Golden Jungle’ and composer of the musical of the same title. He believes in good governance and morally upright leaders.

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