COMMENT | The M Indira Gandhi case is the best example of how the system has failed non-Muslims. The narrative of the state is so ingrained that many people do not view this as a religious kidnapping but rather a domestic spat between a husband and wife. Indeed, I have heard journalists refer to it as such. If the police were a functional institution, the sensitivities felt by the kidnapper to the bad press he received would not be an issue. Here we have the state security apparatus attempting to negotiate with a kidnapper who apparently gets upset by bad press. Does anyone else find this laughable?

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Abdul Hamid Bador refers to “constraints” in bringing the kidnapper back. Now, normally, I would understand if the state needed to be conservative with the flow of information. But after nearly a decade of mismanagement, mala fide intentions and plain incompetence, I believe that Indira and the section of the polity which believes that this is an important issue, deserve full disclosure. What are these constraints? What is hampering the police from working with local enforcement agencies from bringing the kidnapper back? If he is in another country, have the police and other enforcement agencies been communicating with the relevant authorities where the kidnapper is? Have they collaborated on how to best bring back the kidnapped child to her mother?

Honestly, why doesn’t the IGP publicly identify which country the kidnapper is in? It is almost as if publicly identifying the country that the kidnapped child has been living in, for God knows how long, would be damaging to certain parties. Why the big secret? If the public knew which country is involved, they could petition their local representative as a show of support for this kidnapped child’s return, which is what happens in a functional democracy. What we need are official statements and not mere speculations, innuendos and misinformation online. Hamid claims he does not want to politicise the case but this case is already a political issue. 

Can anyone trust anything the IGP says now? When conniving political operatives (BN, then Pakatan Harapan) tell us to trust the investigation, can anyone take them seriously? You do understand what this means, right? Now when a Muslim convert or a Muslim kidnapper kidnaps a child what he or she has is precedent that the state security apparatus will do everything in their power to see to it that the crime results in a "happy ending".This is the real issue here. This is why this case is extremely important, but more distressingly, dangerous. Now, a person who kidnaps a child and does so under the auspices of religious dogma has a free pass, because he or she knows how the police will react.

The kidnapper would most probably be assisted by various operatives from within the state because there will be no consequences as religious issues are involved. The rakyat will be fed lies and red herrings. Conspiracy theories will supplant the administration of justice and the kidnappers will remain free, all in the name of religion. In all my articles, I have made the argument that this is a case of religious kidnapping. That religion was front and centre of a crime, which has demonstrated to non-Muslims that they are at a disadvantage.

This is the reason why the issue is so sensitive, as Hamid claims. Think about it. This is an issue of a man who kidnaps a child and apparently absconds to another country. A court order had been issued – years ago – and yet the public institution that Malaysians are supposed to trust has failed to execute this order.

The IGP instead claims that under his watch, there has been communication, even if not “face to face” with this kidnapper, and that we should be understanding of this issue. If someone kidnapped the child of some rich plutocrat or a minister, does anyone think that the police and IGP would be so understanding? 

For close to a decade this case has entered and exited the news cycle. For close to a decade the governments – BN, Harapan and Perikatan Nasional – have allowed the kidnapper to thumb his nose at Malaysians, all the while bringing up a kidnapped child. A child who is most probably brainwashed against her mother. A child who most probably does not even recognise her mother. A child who most probably believes, as her father does, that it is permissible to kidnap a child if it involves religion.