Muhammad Hydar -
On the 22nd of November, our Minister for Home Affairs, Mr K Shanmugan, revealed that Mas Selamat Kastari’s (MSK) relatives aided MSK in his escape. Long story short, MSK went to his brother, Asmom, for shelter and aid.
Asmom’s family then provided aid to MSK. Asmom, his wife and adult daughter have been jailed accordingly for their actions.
That’s a lesson to all of you. Next time a terrorist comes to you for aid, you let him in your house first. Then you and the terrorist sit down at the table before you cockily blast him with your laser gun like Han Solo.
Mr Shanmugan stated that MSK’s relatives were interviewed on March 3rd 2008 in which they deliberately withheld information about MSK’s whereabouts.
So dangerous were Asmom’s family that our authorities interviewed them four days after MSK escaped.
So dangerous were Asmom’s family that we might even forget the overarching mistakes committed by the relevant security agencies.
On the 23rd of November, the Straits Times (ST) published the news. The report had an earnest tone, blunt questioning from the MPs and Mr Shanmugan’s abstract non-replies.
Logic tells me that the fact that MSK managed to escape could mean that our authorities didn’t monitor MSK’s immediate family members after he escaped.
Why didn’t they do so? Apparently, MSK’s extended family and loose network of contacts were in the hundreds, according to Shanmugam. Of course, when I escape from prison, I would rather go to the house of my grandmother’s cousin’s son’s sister-in-law’s children for help.
Mr Shanmugan gave assurance that investigations were conducted on all of them.
Wouldn’t one’s family or in this case, one’s brother be an obvious avenue of assistance for an escaped criminal? I watch enough NCIS to know that you always need to track down the family.
The ST report said that MSK going undetected in a flat is “not a security lapse.” Wrong move. Should have gone with the “I-made-a-mistake” move.
Not monitoring the brother of your target is clearly a mistake, isn’t it?
Mr Shanmugan revealed that MSK’s niece helped the terrorist disguise as a woman wearing a tudung and make-up. A hair-net was employed too.
I’m extremely worried about this as I’m a friend to many makciks and aunties.
You and I have may have aided MSK in his escape. Does the government know how many times I give up my seat in the MRT or bus to makciks and aunties? One of those women could have been MSK.
Our courteous ways might have damaged anti-terrorism efforts in our region.
This is clearly Singa, the Courtesy Lion’s fault.
By the way did anybody notice the makcik-esque photo used by the Straits Times?
According to terrorism experts quoted in the ST report, MSK was probably good at counter-surveillance, hence the tudung, make-up and flotation device.
And that a HDB flat is a “difficult place to conduct surveillance.” Or that there is no place to hide and if you sit long enough at the void deck, people get suspicious. Don’t we already have gangs and homeless people living at the void decks? The authorities could have disguised themselves with brightly dyed hair and skinny jeans to blend in.
Well, those inferences are as good as mine because when asked to divulge more information on MSK’s investigation, Mr Shanmugan said, “[It is] not in the interest of our country for us to disclose these matters.”
Perhaps the most enlightening quote by Mr Shanmugan would be, “Their [MSK relatives] actions are not a reflection on the wider Malay-Muslim community…We should therefore not allow this episode to affect the trust and goodwill that has been built up over the years between our different communities.”
Sure, those quotes might seem condescending/ cringe-worthy/ questionable/ low-brow/ insulting/ but Mr Shanmugan is wrong on the count that Asmom’s actions IS a reflection of the Malay-Muslim community.
What can I say?
The Malay-Muslim community is damn hospitable. We make Martha Stewart look like Joseph Stalin.
What about trust and goodwill?
It’s clear that to maintain trust and goodwill amongst our different communities, we need to unnecessarily imply that Malay-Muslims have a soft spot for cross-dressing terrorist suspects.
We also need to reserve one page in ST to quickly deny the link that it wasn’t because of one’s race or religion that one would decide to help MSK as opposed to the obvious stupid lapses in judgement, tendency to help family and reckless thinking.
Conjuring up stereotypical non-existent links between the actions of one family to an entire community and unnecessary comparisons between different communities is as goodwill as it comes.
As my cat always says, “Making a mountain out of a molehill.”
To say that Asmom’s actions does not reflect the Malay-Muslim community implies that we Singaporeans already thought that such actions are expected to come from the Malay-Muslim community.
Mr Shanmugan finally states that, “Singaporeans will be understandably disappointed that Asmom and his family had helped Mas Selamat in his escape.”
I for one, am disappointed in finding out that all MSK needed to thwart an island-wide manhunt was lipstick and a head scarf.
In order to curb more public speculation and prevent a possible decline in trust towards our security agencies, I urge Mr Shanmugan and the relevant authorities to disclose more information on the current investigation of Mas Selamat’s escape.
At least tell us what shade of lipstick he used.
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Cartoons from My Sketchbook.
Fact or Fiction
“2) Unless very serious sibling’s rivalary or extreme bad blood or face with violence else which parents / siblings / relatives willing to sever family ties & dial triple 9 just to save the gov’s face……”
It is about the family being responsible. Your brother is terrorist and you will help him escape and not call the police at all, even later after he made his getaway? Clap clap.
@notalone
“And congrats to Mas S, his story will command a #1 box-office price-tag, i bet.”
plus it would have all the make up and tudung endorsements during the film!
@ Zorro
“I am happy Mas Selamat is finally behind bars and now chained. It doesn’t pay to be nice.”
I’m also happy those who helped him are behind bars. They were not being nice. They were dumb. Blood is thicker than water, yes, but not when one is on the run from the law! They were lucky they were not jailed under the ISA.
Zorro
Put the past behind us. Singaporeans stay vigilant and together we fight off this terrorism scourge from our soil.
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we? again…
together we fight? woah wow..together do we gettoearn $10,000/month?..together do we hav a wake in the istana for our belated ahkongs/ahmas?
and without a doubt..together i pay the erp/gst/parkin coupons for both me & the LEEs royale familLEE… i don’t even recalled leekingyou/wongcuntsink take responsibilities @ all..both of them still aroun both of them get2get 2.7bonuses as we? do you/me get a 2.7bonus?
There was a story…..
There was an accident at this junction. The Q plate car beat the traffic light. I had no way of avoiding this car in my path way although i brake hard.I hit the side of the car.
I got 18 months jail for this accident because i failed to brake hard enough,my tyre is not new enough,i’m not alert enough and enough is enough……
…..why focus on me. Who cause the accident or should i say the INCIDENT.
I am shock that the home security and police did not monitor the relatives of MSK, especially those that are close to him. I believe this is the 1st rule of good detective work in looking for a fugitive. Here is another example of our “world-class” detective work. The government has put up so many marketing campaigns touting how great of everything Singapore achieved that they believe their properganda themselves 100%.
For those of you who expect a apology from the Minister about this mistake or for that matter, any future mistake makes by the Home Affairs, I assure you it will NEVER happen. The minister is a top lawyer and by training and habit, he will not admit mistake is made.
So
I applaud this article, it is very well written. I feel that it was utterly irresponsible for high ranking government people to have even raised race relations of Singapore in conjunction with the great Mas Selamat’s escape. Obviously they are trying gloss over the severe systematic failures in our national security. And as if to add insult to injury, WKS has been recently promoted to Coordinator of National Security. Sheesh. Only in Singapore.
Yes, the family should not have harboured him and should be punished. Mas Selamat might be a known terrorist, but he was detained under ISA. Were all the people detained under ISA dangerous that family members cannot support them. The British arhives will show you that the ISA was abused to detain political opponents. Were the people arrrested in 1984 all dangerous criminals..yes only dangerous to a certain maglomaniac. I am more about the imcompetent turds who let him escape in the first place.
afarce
- we of course would think they should look at family first as it is common sense for us. based on their assessments, they decided to look for him among his ji kakis as priority, that’s why they closed in on asmon only later when it was too late. they had their reasons but since mas was not caught. too bad for their reasons.
Crimson
- i’m surprised they were not arrested under isa. surprisingly open. and for the record, blood ties is not an excuse for the family who helped him escape. they can call 999 after he left their flat.
Singaporean
- i don’t see WKS movement as promotion. he is now powerless and no real ministry to oversee. conspiracy theory -> that he left after msk was returned and with this revelation of more setbacks in the msk hunt, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back for him.
Apollo 24 November 2010
Crimson
- i’m surprised they were not arrested under isa. surprisingly open. and for the record, blood ties is not an excuse for the family who helped him escape
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if the most wanted criminal is YOUR brother..would you call 999?
leekingyou himself protect all HIS childrens/nephews/nieces/daughterinlaws with HIGH positions no matter ow many mistakes THEY made…
so what is the xcuse for not FIRING an imcompetent ninkamput minister?
So how did Selamat escape? Is it by swimming across the Johore Straits or by walking across the Johore Causeway using a tudung?
Please put up your hand if you are lying!!! Maybe MHA can be privatised? what say you!!!
Gilbert 24 November 2010
So how did Selamat escape? Is it by swimming across the Johore Straits or by walking across the Johore Causeway using a tudung?
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remembered the great xscape or the rock prison break where clint eastwoods dig his way out with aa tablespoon?
most probadLEE in mas sala caase where supposejtly he climbed through the jumbuan with the aided of multilayers of kleenex jumbuan tissues (as though mas sala been usin the kleenex to clean his karchng after a berak session…)
what realLEE happenned?
let me used my magical 3rd eye 3D blueray views as an xmaple…
mas sala famillee gathered in whitely
hav a nice nasi padang in the openfields just beside our infamous x-police academy…
@ the same time his more than 100 relatives who visited him (which is why on that fateFOOL days there were so maany kleenex jumbuan tissues in stock
100 members woah…) so our brilliant numbor SATU bolehed man used his head..he instruct his over 100 members to strat rollin all the kleenex jumbuan tissue and made a clone of mas sala himself (you know the saame effigies which the thais made of our belove prince and our belove empress the DOWAGER)
@ the end of the day AFTER visitin hour
the mas sala cloned effigy wwas tucked in bed with instruction to the gurkha guard that mas sala is tired and tidur lark…
mas sala already donnin a tudaang and usin a lipstick with gorgeous makeups includin the ability to enlarge his nay nay as well just waltz out of whitely dention holiday camp…shutmudgum already confirm and concurreed that mas sala do hav more than 100 relatives which drainned up resourcses on the security personnel…
so to sum it up..what do you xpect the gurkha guard to do when more than 100 relatives leaved the detention camp?
recount again and again?
i also cannot for i only hav 10 fingers
more than that.. i would had to go for retrainnin…till today i also realLEE don’t know ow many ZEROs i had in my cpf savin$ the way limsiasuayed counts
Selamat disguise as a woman and just walk through the custom with the passport of probably one of his relative. I hope they could get the security footage of that precious moment.
Ang Kong Kia
I hope they could get the security footage of that precious moment.
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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2C_tR3VNeJE/R9h8qM80_OI/AAAAAAAAAJc/z9KvywQ5Blk/s400/mrs+mas+selamat.gif
above is the authentic footage photographed from the cia satelitte powered by ipad usin madeinchina lenses..
thank to that protoshoppe artist…
With this one of a kind papaya gov, that are paid millions for creative excuses and diversions, no wonder no1 have any faith in them anymore.
Mas Selamat escape from prison toilet, uncovers many flaws:
1. police force incompetence. Dude, u never watch TV shows huh, they always monitor relatives and friends.
2. pap no accountability. U got no balls to admit ur failure. Bottom see top like that, so also follow. What example are u setting?
3. national security vulnerability. Hollywood can shoot his escape, i am sure it would be a box office hit. It would be “RA” though, with the toilet and other security loopholes scenes cut. In the end, 1.5 hours show cut to nothing except few minutes showing his handover from MY to SG.
Mr Shanmugan, do prioritize and focus on addressing the system flaws and not divert/kpo on family ties. Family can be complicated and emotional, it is not something that can be squarely classified as right or wrong.
okay, point taken: our authories make mistakes.