This is from the interview, which was carried by the New Straits Times
today:
“Q: In Malaysia, there are some Malaysians who are involved with al-Qaeda?I describe this revelation by Mahathir as a “shocker” as in the past four months since the September 11 terrorist suicide attacks on New York and Washington - except for one occasion last Thursday - both the government and the police had been most strenuous and categorical to deny that Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda had any network, link or activities in Malaysia.A: Yes, about 50. We have tracked down quite a number of them. They were trained in Afghanistan.”
On 14th October, 2001, for instance, the Deputy Home Minister, Datuk Zainal Abidin Zin told Parliament that no link had been established between the Al-Qaeda and the Kumpulan Militant Malaysia (KMM) while the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had a few days earlier expressed surprise at foreign press reports about the existence of Al-Qaeda cells in the country.
Only on Monday (7.1.2002), Defence Minister Datuk Najib Tun Razak unequivocally stated that there were no al-Qaeda cells or presence in Malaysia.
I mentioned that there had only been one exception in the past four
months to the total and blanket government and police denial of any al-Qaeda
link in Malaysia, and that was last Friday, when the Inspector-General
of Police, Tan Sri Norian Mai, announced the new batch of 13 arrests alleging
that they were involved in a “new wing of KMM” different from the wing
allegedly headed by Nik Mohd Adli Nik Aziz, son of the Kelantan Mentri
Besar.
But Norian Mai was only talking about checking reports that one of
the 13 most recently arrested in connection with the alleged second and
new KMM wing had links with the two suicide terrorists Khalid al-Midhar
and Nawaf al-Hazmi who piloted the aircraft that crashed into the Pentagon
and the “20th suicide hijacker”, Zacarias Moussaoiu, the Moroccan with
the French nationality whom the United Statets has charged with conspiring
with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda in the hijacking of the two commercial
aircrafts which were used in the September 11 suicide attacks on the World
Trade Centre in New York.
How did checking reports that there was one al-Qaeda contact in Malaysia mushroom in a matter of days (and after months of public denial that there are al-Qaeda cells in the country - the latest by the Defence Minister only four days ago) into a formidable array of some 50 al-Qaeda operatives and contacts in Malaysia as stated by the Prime Minister in his interview in Japan yesterday?
I have formally written to Norian Mai asking the Inspector-General of Police for a briefing on the al-Qaeda terrorist network, cells and activities in Malaysia and the overall threat of terrorism faced by the country in the light of the latest Jane Intelligence Review report warning that although Al Qaeda’s network in the United States, Europe and East Africa has been disrupted significantly as a result of investigations and widespread arrests, its network of cells and support structures in Asia remains virtually intact, both before and after September 11 and is likely to become the “last bastion” of Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda operations.
With Mahathir’s shocking revelation that there are some 50 al-Qaeda operatives and contacts in Malaysia, it is even more urgent and imperative that Norian Mai fix an early date to give a briefing to DAP leaders and MPs on the Al Qaeda network, cells and activities in Malaysia and Osama bin Laden’s extensive reach to Malaysia.
The issue of terrorism, whether national or international, sacrificing innocent civilian victims for whatever cause, has assumed greater saliency and urgency for the world after the September 11 terrorist attacks - and Malaysia is no exception.
Malaysia must develop its own national strategy to combat and
immunize the country and people from all forms of terrorism, whether national
or international, which must be based on a national consensus transcending
party politics and religions securing the support of all Malaysians, regardless
of race, religion or political affiliation. This national strategy
and consensus against terrorism must comprise at least two important elements:
· Unequivocal and unconditional condemnation of all forms of
terrorism in Malaysia, whether national or international, by all political
parties in the country; and
· Solemn undertaking by all political parties, whether in power
or opposition - whether Barisan Nasional, Barisan Alternative or DAP -
as well as the government, covering its police, security, intelligence
and information apparatus, never to exploit or “politicise” the issue
and war against terrorism for petty, narrow sectional ends - starting
with the Indera Kayangan by-election.
(11/1/2002)