Malaysia: The cost of public doubt over high-profile criminal cases

The reactions to a syringe attack on an ex-minister's son suggest a toll on trust in law enforcement.

- Bhavan Jaipragas

The recent stabbing of former Malaysian minister Rafizi Ramli's 12-year-old son with a syringe at a Putrajaya mall was shocking enough on its own.

What proved more unsettling, however, was the weary resignation among sections of the public that investigations would be half-hearted and conclude with "no further action" — a far harsher commentary on trust in law enforcement in difficult cases that may involve political connections.

Such sentiment seemed rife on social media after the Aug 13 incident in a parking lot in Putrajaya.

The boy was dragged away by a masked man and stabbed with a syringe as he and his mother were about to enter a car, Mr Rafizi said. Drugs and poison have been ruled out; further tests for other harmful substances in the syringe, including HIV and hepatitis, will take months. After the episode, Mr Rafizi said his wife received threatening text messages from an unknown number, including one that said "Be quiet. If you continue, AIDS."

Mr Rafizi, who has ratcheted up criticism of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government since quitting as a minister in June, said he believed the attack was premeditated and a warning to silence him after he recently met whistle-blowers in a corruption case. He said on Aug 20 that the case involved Datuk Seri Anwar's former political secretary, Datuk Farhash Wafa Salvador, who has emerged in recent years as a significant player in the country's corporate sector. Mr Farhash has dismissed online speculation about his involvement in the attack, calling the allegations "crazy" in a response to Malaysiakini.

Mr Anwar as well as senior officials, on their part, have indicated the attack probe as top priority, with investigators from the national police headquarters, Bukit Aman, now handling it. As these words were written, the two male assailants had yet to be apprehended.