We should not be sidetracked from the bigger picture of how government-issued explosives could be relieved from the stock inventory for criminal activities, says a reader.

On Model's murder: Political analyst remanded

Lovely Jin: While the police investigations into the murder of Mongolian model Attantuya Shaariibuu - whose body was detonated into smithereens - is going on, we should not be sidetracked from the bigger picture of how government-issued explosives could be relieved from the stock inventory for criminal activities.

Who endorsed the sign-off? Every time when any type of weaponry is removed from the store, whether for training or official assignment, shouldn't there be an officer-in-charge who puts in a requisition form stating the reasons for requiring the said items and another officer-in-charge responsible in overseeing and recording who has taken them and ensuring that the items removed tallies the items requested? As for the personnel who took the armaments, shouldn't he sign off that he has received the weapons?

This incident of government-issues explosives being removed from the inventory brings to mind the Al-Ma'unah incident in 2000 whereby the extremist group had raided an army camp in Perak and later shot dead a soldier and a police constable. With them was an entire cache of bombs, grenades, machine guns and others.

Given that the penalty for civilians carrying arms without a licence is death, extreme care and tight controls ought to be taken and a multi-layered requisition procedure should be adhered to whenever any type of ammunition is removed from the stockpile. When people bemoan about the bureaucratic process of government red-tape, it is certainly compulsory here. We're talking about civilian lives here, and innocent lives have already been lost owing to the misuse of government-issued weapons.

Sadirah K: That the services of the police and the use of grenades to allegedly shoot and then dispose of the evidence show the levels to which the high and mighty can go in dealing with the cover-ups of crimes committed.

This is Malaysia 2006, and is it a surprise to know that we have plunged further in the world's corruption index. It looks like everything can be bought in Malaysia including life itself. Everyone will pay for their extravagances and it is sad that the crime should be linked to an otherwise intelligent person. I am sure there will be more interesting aspects that will reveal itself in the coming days.

On Mahathir suffers heart attack

Hasni Shah: Tak tahulah apa nak cakap tapi saya menangis dan sangat sedih bila membaca Tun Mahathir masuk IJN. Ya Allah, mudah-mudahan beliau cepat sembuh sebab sebagai rakyat Malaysia saya sangat sayang dan kasihikan dia seperti Atuk saya.

Orang sekarang ni bukan tahu nak hormat orang tua... nanti mereka tahu lah nanti apa akibatnya... kembang mata saya nangis fikirkan beliau... Insya Allah, saya dan anak-anak saya akan sentiasa doakan kesihatan Tun.

On Many illegal buildings, like Zakaria's, not demolished

Sabariah: Kita ketahui bahawa ada rakyat di Selangor ini yang mana rumah mereka telah dirobohkan dan kini (sehingga Hari Raya tempohari), mereka masih tinggal di dalam khemah. Tidak prihatinkah wakil rakyat mereka? Kenapa pula merobohkan rumah mereka tanpa mempertimbangkan dulu tentang kebajikan mereka?

Fed-up voter: One little Napoleon down, 1,000 more to go. Over the last 20 years, Malaysia under the BN government has created little Napoleons who work to deliver the votes come election time. In between, they live like feudal lords without care or concern for the law. This is precisely the reason for the rakyat's anger against the ruling coalition, which speaks of integrity and honesty but lacks the political will to remove these little Napoleons.

The rakyat in the meantime have to pay hefty penalties for awnings and room extensions without approval. When you see something like this, it sickens to the gut. It is not an isolated case, it is happening all over Malaysia and the chiefs in Putrajaya continue to close one eye to all this to their own detriment. The rakyat is fed up!

On Respect our social contract

Michael Lee: Mibm said, "Their almost divine invention was that simple yet sacred unwritten social contract that was implicitly and explicitly accepted to eternity by everyone be they Malay, Chinese, Indian or the other races."

I think he had better check some facts here. It was not our forefathers who got it wrong. Nobody at that time ever believed that anybody needed a 'tongkat' (crutch) for life - it's the bunch of people who came afterwards.

On Pak Lah's 3 years: What's his score?

Percy Chan: My grade for him is a fat F. Clean up corruption, he said. It's not done, only worse. He refers everything to the cabinet, the MBs, etc. He doesn't show he is capable of any leadership. He hasn't showed us that he understands complex issues. His knowledge of economics and finance is dismal. He can't stand up to Dr M. Come on, as the PM, he should show leadership. Earn respect not sympathy!

On Police state: Anwar backs Mahathir

YSM: It is clear that Pak Lah, Mahathir, Umno, MCA and MIC are yesterday's news. They do not have the confidence of the rakyat anymore. As Anwar said, the intimidation of the police, the muzzled media, the tainted judiciary and the biased Elections Commission are the creation of a BN government determined to promote this culture of fear in the past 25 years.

It's time to promote a multi-party political system where there is the strong possibility of another political party in government apart from the BN. This is where the rakyat truly has power to keep or boot out the government via free and fair elections.