Malaysia’s organised crime syndicate: all roads lead to Putrajaya
In Europe, they say that all roads lead to
On 14 May 2007, the new Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) Director-General, Ahmad Said Hamdan, succeeded his now retired and disgraced boss, Zulkipli Mat Noor, who was forced to exit under a cloud of dirt due to allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct. This is of course not unusual. Heads of government agencies being forced to retire under sexual and corruption scandals is very common and quite the norm in
Hold on, maybe I should rephrase that: In fact, TODAY, one would be very suspicious if a head of a Malaysian government agency retired with a squeaky-clean record and is remembered by all and sundry as a spotless gentleman. Yes, that is the key word; TODAY; because in times of past this would be quite normal. The slime-ball and scumbag Malaysian civil servant would be an extremely rare commodity, then, while on the other hand the gentleman Malaysian civil servant was the norm.
The IGP, Musa, is hailed as Mister Clean, as is Ahmad Said, the ACA head, and both the ACA and Police come under Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. What more befitting that they both report to a boss also dubbed as Mister Clean -- although when previous Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad calls Abdullah ‘Mister Clean’ it is certainly meant as tongue-in-cheek.
The ‘Mister Clean’ label for Musa can certainly be justified considering that he launched an investigation into the corruption and sexual misconduct allegation against Zulkipli. Normally, it would be the ACA that investigates the police. In this instant it was the other way around; the police investigated the head honcho of the agency that is supposed to investigate corruption. Talk about the tail wagging the dog. And to strengthen this Mister Clean image even further, the police also investigated their own Deputy Minister. In
We have a Mister Clean ACA chief, a Mister Clean Chief of Police, and a Mister Clean Prime Minister. However, in spite of all these Mister Cleans running around loose, there is certainly great concern about the current state of affairs. Why is the crime rate escalating? And we are not talking about stolen bicycles, snatched handbags, or cases of buttock pinching on crowded buses. We are talking about organised crime.
The organised crime syndicate -- which, as I said, includes prostitution (in particular girls from
It seems about 120 key police personnel were shifted, transferred, etc., in a massive shake-up that some say is Musa’s attempt at cleaning up the police force and making it more efficient. Kudos to Musa! However, Musa’s critics will profusely beg to differ. They allege that Musa merely cleaned out remnants of the old regime and instead planted his own people in those strategic places. As in every story there are always two sides to it and it would be very difficult to get to the truth unless those within the police force come out into the open and sing like a canary.
Anyway, whether the shake-up was for better or for worse would have to remain a matter for speculation at this point of time. What is very clear, and is no speculation, is that the organised crime syndicate, which started its operations in Johor, has now moved up north and is now strengthening its base in Perak after conquering Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, and of course, the jewel in the crown, the Kelang Valley.
According to those in the ‘industry’, the Kingpin of the organised crime syndicate is a man called BK Tan. The trouble with most underworld bosses -- and this we have mentioned before in Malaysia Today -- is that they just love to boast. They just can’t resist telling all and sundry; the GROs and waiters in the nightclub included; about how well-connected they are. They also have super-large egos and like to be ‘honoured’. This is what The Straits Times reported on 14 November 2003 in an article about ten Malaysian states selling datukships:
Many businessmen are said to be willing to pay up to RM50,000 for a datukship and even up to RM150,000 or more for more prestigious titles, which they hope will accord them status in their business dealings. Concerns have been raised in recent years that some datuks could not speak in the National Language or English. The arrests of some datuks for criminal activities and allegations that some were involved in Chinese triads had also diminished the value attached to the award.
As they say, it’s all about fortune and fame. First one seeks money. Then one clamours a name. And even slime-balls and scumbags who become filthy rich (the filthy way) eventually want to be honoured and treated as ‘respectable’ members of society. And the way to do this would be to buy datukships. And what is RM150,000 to these people? It is not even one day’s income to those who run the prostitution, illegal gambling and drug syndicates.
BK Tan would relate to anyone who cares to listen about how well-connected he is. He will boast about how he has the IGP in his pocket and can just walk into the IGP’s house anytime he so wishes. He would assure his fascinated audience that he has the power to transfer police officers, even those of the level of OCPDs. If any OCPD does not play ball, BK Tan guarantees his listeners whose jaws by now have dropped, he will ensure that they get transferred within 24 hours. “I run the police force!” BK Tan would scream in case anyone still does not catch his drift.
Whether this is just idle boasting or The Gospel is of course anyone’s guess. Surely BK Tan’s astounded audience would never be able to phone the IGP to confirm whether what the prostitution, illegal gambling and drug baron said is true or not. But do they really need confirmation when it is apparent that BK Tan runs his nation-wide operations unhindered? It is not like he operates underground though it can be said that he runs an underground business. He openly advertises his links with the IGP short of wearing a T-shirt that says, ‘I own the IGP’. Certainly the IGP too would know of BK Tan’s loose talk and it begs answers as to why the IGP would allow his good name to be smeared in this fashion. Or is it no one dares tell the IGP that BK Tan is ‘selling’ his name? Then again, could it be that.....no.....surely it can’t be!
BK Tan’s number two is someone who goes by the name of Lee Een Hong. He is the enforcer who ensures that all the ‘laws’ are complied with. The Johor operation comes under Goh Cheng Poh who goes by the nickname of ‘Tengku’. The designer drugs are ‘marketed’ through a disco in Johor Bharu called the Platinum Disco and the prostitutes are mostly ‘imported’ girls from
Again, Tengku, just like BK Tan, loves to boast and he brags about how he arranged for the IGP to close down the operations of his competitors all over Johor so that he could enjoy a monopoly. Tengku also relates how one police officer by the name of Dato Rahim Jaafar refused to play ball and he arranged for the IGP to transfer him out of Johor. These underworld bosses must learn to keep their mouths shut. One must never kiss and tell even if it is true; and more so if it is not.
The Melaka operation is under the control of someone called Jimmy and, just like in Johor, it includes prostitution, drugs and illegal gambling. Their main marketing outlets are the
The Negeri Sembilan operation is centred in Taman NST and comes under someone known only as Y2K.
It is expected that before the end of this year the Perak operation will be fully developed after which the organised crime syndicate would be ready to move into
Some police officers would readily come forward to testify if asked to do so. The problem is no one is asking them to and one does not volunteer anything unless asked to. One very senior police officer even sent a letter to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi revealing in great detail the entire operation and who is behind what, both in the organised crime syndicate as well as in the police force. And it is most alarming that some very big names appear in this letter to the Prime Minister and one would be hard-pressed to believe it if one did not see the letter for oneself. It seems the ACA has investigated the allegations in this letter and has found it to be true. But of course nothing was done about it thus far.
What is even more puzzling is in spite of this revelation (which was that letter to the Prime Minister and confirmed true by the ACA) nothing was done about the matter. Some suspect that the Prime Minister probably never even saw the letter because it is an open secret that Abdullah is ‘insulated’ and ‘isolated’ from bad news and only given good news. Could it be that certain people in the Prime Minister’s office -- maybe those within the ranks of the fourth floor -- do not want Abdullah to discover this truth? Hmm....have we finally uncovered the Putrajaya link to the Chinese organised crime syndicate? It certainly makes one wonder.
Okay, assuming that the Prime Minister is not being kept abreast of what is happening in the country, surely his many Ministers such as the Home Affairs Minister or the Minister of Internal Security would know about all this and would be able take some form of action, or at least inform Abdullah about what is going on.
Johari Baharum, Abdullah’s Deputy Minister of Internal Security, has been absolved of the allegation that he took a bribe of RM5.5 million to free a notorious underworld boss who had initially been detained for running an illegal gambling, prostitution and drug ring. It seems the police wrongfully detained the underworld boss or did not follow proper procedures in the detention. Johari, therefore, had no choice but to sign his release since this would have ‘exploded’ if the case had been taken to court. But the ACA has not yet made any official announcement absolving him of the crime in spite of Johari’s challenge that it announce its findings and make it public. Why has the ACA held back announcing what would clear Johari of this crime? This is yet another mystery.
Is Johari ignorant of the details of the Chinese organised crime syndicate? Everyone is talking. Even many police officers themselves are talking. It is no longer a secret. Should not Johari be doing something about it? Is it so difficult to launch an investigation and get to the bottom of the whole matter? Surely it would not be that difficult to bring the criminals to book, never mind how high up the ladder the trail may lead.
It makes one wonder whether Johari has learnt his lesson in the Zulkipli episode. Johari has seen how the tail can sometimes wag the dog. The very powerful ACA head honcho was brought down by the people who investigated him when he instead should be investigating them. Johari too almost suffered the same fate and escaped by the skin of his nose. And he was almost brought down by a mere one-page article on an anonymous website that appears to have been set up with this sole purpose in mind; to implicate him in a corrupt act.
Has Johari developed a severe case of cold feet syndrome? One cannot blame him of course if one knows which side one’s bread is buttered. One brush with the police is sufficient. Once bitten, twice shy, as they say. But Johari’s lack of action in this case causes more damage than if he had done something. He is sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. If he moves, he dies; if he does nothing, fingers would point to him as the dalang behind the Chinese organised crime syndicate. It would make him appear even guiltier and the allegation that he was bribed to release the underworld bosses from detention without trial would be very hard to deflect. Telan mati emak, ludah mati bapak, would be how the Malays would describe this situation.
Johari may have been cleared of the corruption charge. The ACA may have found him innocent of any crime. But that is small potatoes compared to what is going on in the country today. The prostitution, illegal gambling and drug syndicate appears to be having a free run of the country. And this can only be possible if those who walk in the corridors of power are permitting it. Abdullah has to clear his name super-fast. If tongues start wagging and people point to Abdullah as being the protector, benefactor and beneficiary of the prostitution, illegal gambling and drug ring, that would demolish his image and reputation as both ulamak and inventor of Islam Hadhari.
In fact, both Abdullah’s and Johari’s reputations are at stake here. Are they aware of the organised crime sweeping this country? Are they totally ignorant about it until now? Or are they actually behind it? If they are not behind it and did not know about it thus far, well, now they do. Today, Malaysia Today has revealed what is going on. So can we now see some action? It would be extremely sad if Islam Hadhari translates to mean prostitution, illegal gambling and drugs flourishing in
BBC once ran a series called ‘Who Runs Your World?’ and, on 20 September 2005, Jonathan Kent wrote about how
In my attempt to find out more about the triads, I made the ground rules clear from the start. I didn’t want specifics, I didn’t want details and I certainly didn’t want names. I just wanted to know how the gangs worked. I have no idea what Ah Hing’s real name is, but I do know that he is being groomed to take over as tai ko - big brother (a term triad members use for their bosses) - in a gang that operates in a small town in northern Malaysia.
We had chosen a room in an old shop house in which to meet. Ah Hing looked like many working class Malaysian Chinese, with heavy jewellery, cheap shoes and spiky hair. His minder collected tattoos.
“We do sell some ecstasy pills and that is how we make a living, me and my friends,” he said. “We do take girls for prostitution, and this is much easier to do than ecstasy because usually the government will not bother us when we do this.”
The triads and
But Ah Hing runs girls and sells pills. The women cost the gangs between US$750 and US$2,000 each. They are bought and sold like cattle, and the pimps want a return. “The girls know they have to work to pay back the money we paid to buy them,” Ah Hing said. “We do find girls who refuse to work, and we will keep them in solitary confinement and give them a bad time until they tell me they want to work.”
The triads have their roots in a 17th Century movement dedicated to restoring
“During his very last days as the leader of the triad society, he gathered everybody from his society and in front of leaders from other societies he washed his hands in a gold basin which symbolised that from today onwards he is not going to be involved in the triad society any more, and now he is old and respectable and a free man,” she said.
But
“If I want to operate on a particular street and ask a politician to ask the authorities not to disturb me, the politician might say: “It's impossible to have zero arrests, so you can operate on certain hours and we will patrol after those hours” - so it’s a win-win situation,” Ah Hing said.
If someone crosses him, however, it’s most certainly not win-win. “If someone betrays me personally... I will get a few gang members together and beat him up until he’s paralysed or he’s a vegetable, but if the matter is really big then they’ll be brought before my tai ko for a trial,” he said. “If my tai ko asks us to deal with someone, even if we kill that person, we won't be worried, because if the police arrest us, my tai ko will get me out,” he added. “Last time I was taken in the front door of the [police] lock-up, and right away I walk out of the back door.”
Ah Hing says he makes deals with politicians and policemen
Most Malaysians have little or nothing to do with the triads. But many poorer people have nowhere else to turn when they need to borrow money. All too often, Michael Chong, head of public services for the political party the Malaysian Chinese Association, sees what happens when borrowers default on their payments. “We do have cases where they run away, you know, with the family... and of course we have some cases where they have been assaulted - assaulted in the sense they have to be hospitalised,” Mr Chong said.
Ah Hing makes no bones about his world and his life. “I admit that I am a bad guy, and that I'm a gangster,” he said.
“So who runs your world?” I asked - to which he gave a simple reply: “The government. If the government doesn’t want to be a bit lenient with us and if they are strict about everything, then there's no way that I can make a living. There's no work,” Ah Hing said.
When the economic downturn of 1998 hit
They may be bad men, but they’re also businessmen. - End of article
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And this is what The Straits Times reported on 23 January 2007:
When
Tan Sri Musa Hassan, the Inspector-General of Police who became the country's top cop last September and who appointed Datuk Wan, a career policemen known for his professionalism, said after the raid that he was not amused by the Sekinchan police station's lack of action. “We will take action if they are involved in or closed an eye to illegal activities,” he said, referring to police officers there.
Since then, Datuk Wan has been criss-crossing the country leading and coordinating raids on illegal gaming outlets in small towns, which are usually not on the national radar screen. Besides declaring war on illegal gambling, which is controlled by Malaysian triads, the raids appear to be part of a get-tough message aimed at the police force and other civil servants who may have cosy ties with criminal elements.
When Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's government took office in late 2003, it made the fight against corruption a top priority. But more than three years on, public perception of a corrupt civil service, particularly within the police force, remains widespread.
The new police chief and his head of CID appear now to be shaking things up in the police. Following Datuk Wan’s raid, the Sekinchan police chief has been transferred to the state police headquarters, pending a full disciplinary investigation. An inquiry is also being conducted into the activities of the district police chief.
Another fallout from the raid: the district council president has been transferred after it was discovered that the gambling dens had valid business licences.
“What is happening definitely helps rebuild faith in the police force and improve their public image,” a ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) MP, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamad, told The Straits Times. He said any attempt to clean up the police force and the civil service would help boost the Prime Minister's image as well. “But fighting corruption takes a long time. The main thing now is to slowly change the culture of the police force,” he said.
Last Friday, Datuk Wan took his team to Sungei Petani in Kedah, where they seized more than 178 video gaming machines for gambling from seven ‘family entertainment centres’. One of the seven outlets was located just 500m from a police station. “We want to close down all illegal dens by the end of March,” he said recently, in a sign of his resolve. “Illegal gambling is breaking up families.” - End of article
Yes, that is right, illegal gambling; in particular slot machines; are rampant all over Malaysia and they operate right under the very noses of the police in premises that are within walking distance of police stations -- and it seems with the collusion of the police. This is not what Malaysia Today says. This is what the police themselves say as reported by The Straits Times. So why can’t the police clean it up then? It is not that they don’t know; they do.
There are an estimated 500 licensed slot machine outlets spread out all over
Isn’t it interesting that Islam Hadhari Malaysia has more slot machines than the ‘Great Satan’ USA’s Las Vegas and more Chinese prostitutes than in the ‘Godless’ China which bans prostitution? And we go berserk about one Malay woman called Lina Joy who has already converted to Christianity long ago and now wants to change the classification of her religion on her identity card. What height of hypocrisy! No wonder the Malays are a condemned race. Oh? You don’t think so? Well, is it not Malays who are giving protection to the Chinese organised crime syndicate to enable it to perpetuate the illegal gambling, drugs and prostitution business? If not, how the hell do you think the Chinese underworld can treat this country like it was