Wanted: New Malaysian PM, Part 2

Which former Malaysian Finance Minister will succeed in toppling embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi?

In one corner is Anwar Ibrahim, who was the Finance Minister between 1991 and 1998. He was once tipped to be the next premier but his ascent was cut short by former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar has since emerged as the de facto leader of the much-stronger Opposition coalition. The Opposition managed to deny the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional the two-thirds majority it had held since 1969.

And Anwar could still become the new premier. But he must win in an upcoming by-election after April 15 -- he can only run for public office after the expiry of his 5-year ban following his release from jail -- and secure 30 BN defections. Some BN parliamentarians are said to be ready to hop over to the Opposition bandwagon.

The Opposition will end the reign of BN and form the new government should it secure just 30 defections.

In the other corner is Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who was Finance Minister during the 1980s. He offered himself for the presidency of the United Malays National Organization (Umno). The president of Umno has traditionally been the Prime Minister of the country. So far, there is resonance to his clarion call although it's still unclear whether he will eventually get a shot at the Umno presidency again.

Of course, one cannot dismiss the ever-so-slick Deputy PM Najib Razak, who has been waiting patiently for his 'heavenly mandate' to run the country like his late father -- the country's second PM, Tun Abdul Razak.

Whatever the scenario, the likelihood of Badawi's political demise is no longer unthinkable since the watershed elections on Mar 8.

The challenges came after BN, which is led by Umno, lost its long-held two-thirds majority in parliament, lost five states to the Opposition, and saw the casualties of many heavyweights. BN and Umno seem to be disarray with the departure of so many disgruntled political bigwigs. Other component parties of BN -- Malaysian Chinese Association, Malaysian Indian Congress and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia -- are also in a soul-searching mode.

And it doesn't help that two other strong forces are against Badawi. Dr Mahathir has backed Tengku Razaleigh's call for a party post-mortem, while two royal families have openly rebuffed Badawi in his choice of Chief Ministers in BN-controlled Perlis and Terengganu.

It will take a real miracle for the besieged Malaysian premier and his son-in-law to cling on to power.

Singapore fugitives in JB, part 2

There's been another case of crime in Johor Baru with a Singapore connection.

According to The Star on Monday, a man, who has been on the wanted list in Singapore for 20 years, and two others have been detained in connection with the kidnapping of a businessman’s son in JB.

The report said the three men, in their 20s to 40s, were arrested in a series of raids around the city soon after the 23-year-old victim was released after a ransom of RM600,000 was paid recently. The suspects initially asked for a RM1 million ransom.

The report didn't make it clear whether the mastermind of the plot is a Singaporean, although it said he's a hardcore criminal wanted in Singapore for committing several armed robberies.

This is not the first case of cross-border crime in JB. According to an earlier posting, there were many other fugitives in Singapore who had fled to neighbouring Malaysia such as Singaporean one-eyed dragon Tan Chor Jin and Malaysian Took Leng How in the Huang Na case. They were eventually tracked down by police in the two countries and brought to justice in Singapore.

But the latest kidnapping case in JB is probably eclipsed by the beginning of the sensational case in Kuala Lumpur -- the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu (pix from Guang Ming daily via ST).

The Malaysia press have been working overtime to report the case. Please see The Star, which has posted plenty of pix and video clips of the trial.

Defence analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and two other special action force policemen have been accused of the gruesome murder -- she was shot twice in the head before she was blown to bits by C4 explosives. Razak Baginda has acknowledged having an eight-month extramarital affair with Shaariibuu from late 2004.

Many reports have also said that Razak Baginda is a close associate of Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has vehemently denied any involvement in the case.

The Mongolian model case will definitely continue to hog the headlines.

Updated: Malaysia's Eye of the Storm

Another severe monsoon storm will hit rain-soaked Malaysia. According to The Star, seven northern and east coast states are bracing for thunderstorms and possible floods as strong winds may turn into a cyclone. Severe weather is expected to hit Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang till Monday.

The southern states have already been quite badly hit, as noted in earlier postings.

As Malaysia grapples with the fresh bout of floods in the eastern states, another storm is already brewing in the Malaysian capital. All attention is focused on the upcoming trial of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.

(Pix from The Star of Razak Baginda)

The trial has been fixed for March 10 2008* by Shah Alam High Court judge Justice K.N. Segara. Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, who has been charged with abetment in the murder of Mongolian beauty, was sent back to prison Friday after he failed to get his bail extended.

(Pix from The Star of Altantuya Shaariibuu)

The trial is set to be highly sensational as Razak Baginda is known to be an associate of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib Razak and others in the corridor of power. Razak Baginda is also said to be a middle man in some defence contracts.

The case will be jointly tried with that of two police personnel from the Bukit Aman Special Action Squad -- Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, who were alleged to have blown up the Mongolian girl with C4 explosives after shooting her.

Many questions may or may not be answered. Was she dead before she was blown to bits? Why didn't they deport her instead of silencing her permanently? Are there bigger forces at work? Why were special force policemen involved? How did they get the plastic explosives? Was she involved in defence-related contracts?

It's unfathomable that such a high-profile trial will only be heard next year. The Malaysian courts must expedite the case despite the backlog of cases due to the enormous public interest in the case. An earlier trial will, hopefully, answer some of the nagging questions and help prevent further speculation that may prejudice the case.

An earlier trial and verdict will hopefully bring closure to the most gruesome murder case in Malaysia and, hopefully, placate the wandering spirit of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

* Earlier posting gave the impression it was 2007. Apologies.