The personal appearance of the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Ghani Patail at the Shah Alam Sessions Court yesterday to lay charges against 26 Hindraf supporters for attempted murder of a cop has raised many question.

The first question is why Gani Patail thought it important to appear on an attempted murder charge when he never thought it important to personally handle the high-profile Mongolian Altantunya Shaariibuu murder trial on its 66th day of High Court trial in very same court building in Shah Alam, although the murder trial of the Mongolian woman has far-reaching national and international implications in view of ramifications reaching to the highest government level?

Yesterday, the Shah Alam High Court was told that plastic explosives were placed on three parts of Altantunya Shaariibuu’s body — her head, chest and lower abdomen — before she was blown up when the explosive were detonated simultaneously by using a single detonator connected to all three parts.

Secondly, questions arising from one of disbelief that as many people as 26 people are being charged for the attempted murder of a cop injured in the Batu Caves fracas in connection with the Kuala Lumpur Hindraf demonstration on November 25 , a charge which entailed a maximum 20 years’ jail with fine for the 26 persons.

If the Attorney-General succeeds in his prosecution and in securing maximum sentence, Malaysia will create world history in getting the most number of people sent for life sentence for the attempted murder of a cop — but what a world record!

These troubling thoughts raise the further question as to the real motives of the re-arrest and new charge of attempted murder for 26 people — and whether this is conducive to the larger national objective to de-escalate the tensions caused by the long-standing marginalization of the Malaysian Indians and highlighted by the 30,000-strong Hindraf demonstration on November 25. Read the rest of this entry »