Sirul’s new strings

It seems possible that the fugitive from Malaysian justice is being moved by a new puppeteer.

COMMENT

Many Malaysians are of the opinion that the Altantuya case failed to dig deeper into some very significant questions. Among those questions is how two highly trained specialists could go rogue.

Now former commando Sirul Azhar Umar seems ready to tell his side of the story.

Sirul, currently held in Villawood immigration detention centre in Australia, has promised that he will reveal the whole truth behind the murder of Altantuya in a 15-minute teleconference with the media this Monday. It seems like he is finally fed up with being played like a puppet on strings by the unknown forces who ordered the murder. What comes out from Sirul’s mouth this coming Monday will likely send some very palpable shockwaves through the Malaysian political sphere.

In fact, we’re already seeing some hint of panic at the highest levels of government, with no less than Prime Minister Najib Razak describing Sirul’s proclamation that he acted under orders as “total rubbish”.

It would be understandable if the Prime Minister showed a little vexation as early reports linked him with both Abdul Razak Baginda and Altantuya in the early days of the trial, but the vehemence of the language he used seemed a little too dismissive and aggressive considering that he was barely a factor in the case.

It’s likely that Sirul will be truthful as he has nothing left to lose. Should he even manage to escape deportation, life in Australia will not be comfortable with a murder conviction hanging over his head. Given his no-win situation, Sirul benefits most in defeat if he brings down those who used him as a puppet to disguise their unseen hands in the murder.

Sirul has made some pertinent points in an interview with Malaysiakini, saying, among other things, that he never admitted guilt in the trial. He also expressed his disappointment that his commanding officer, DSP Musa Safri, was never called to testify in the trial. It is noteworthy that Sirul should mention Musa because the DSP at the time was an aide to then-Deputy Prime Minister Najib.

The IGP and Najib may huff and puff all they want against Sirul’s claims, but he has definitely set them on edge. An allegation that Sirul is being influenced by interested parties gives them a sort of defence, but depending on what Sirul tells the media, it could be a political and public relations disaster for the already beleaguered Prime Minister, who can ill afford another one after the unpopular imprisonment of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

However, the IGP’s claims of “interested parties” is indeed plausible. Someone got Sirul out of Malaysia in the midst of his trial. Someone set him up in Australia, which is an expensive place to live in unless you’re earning a salary there. That someone could have told him that he has nothing to lose and he might as well bring down with him the people who set him up. Someone is organizing his press conference this Monday with PAS.

Someone has enabled Sirul to fight back. And given what may be his final chance to have his say, Sirul may well send a message to the people he claims threw him to the wolves: that there are no strings on him.