Mas Selamat’s capture: Why only inform us now?

Mas Selamat’s capture: Why only inform us now?

Friday, 8 May 2009

Terence Lee / Deputy Editor

IT TOOK 398 days for Mas Selamat to be caught on 1st April, but another 36 days for the public to be informed. What happened in between?

The Straits Times editors must be rubbing their hands in glee right now: they got the scoop of the year. Mas Selamat, the fugitive on the run, was found to be under interrogation by the Malaysian authorities. This was certainly no April Fool’s joke.

But while the ISD can finally pat themselves on the back for a job well done, it seems rather odd that they would want to hide their prize from public view, instead of displaying it proudly on the top shelf.
This could only mean two possibilities.

Firstly, the ISD did not know that Mas Selamat was caught until much later. Perhaps the Malaysian authorities chose to withhold the knowledge from the ISD until more information could be extracted from the fugitive. However, if such is the case, does this not amount to a lack of communication and cooperation on both sides?

Also, it is not known who knew about the capture first: the ISD or the Straits Times. Based on the freshest news reports, it appears that the ISD has been silent on this matter up till now.

But is this scenario likely? Perhaps not. It would be absurd for an organisation such as the ISD to not be informed about his capture. But then again, you never know.Secondly, the ISD knew about the fugitive’s capture, but chose to withhold the news from the public eye. Perhaps they believed that more information must be extracted first before it could be made known to Singaporeans. It used to be that the public was anxiously waiting for his capture in the days after his escape.

But as they waited, it soon became apparent that he was never going to be caught quickly. And soon the terrorist escaped not just Singapore, but from the minds of the public as well.

Perhaps that was the reason why the ISD saw no reason to inform the public as fast as they could. But surely such news should never be withheld, especially if it is about a man who could threaten the security and lives of Singaporeans with his very presence?

If this is true, then the Ministry of Home Affairs has not learned from the lessons of the past: the need for better communication and accountability with the public. It was the same scenario many months ago. The MHA was not forthcoming about information regarding the terrorist’s escape, and media practitioners and the public were left frustrated. But then, they had an excuse. Investigations were still ongoing, and the details had to be ascertained.

Now, there is no reason to withhold information. It does not take a lot of effort to say: Mas Selamat is captured, and is in the hands of the Malaysian authorities. It does not take a lot of time to verify if the captured prey really is the fugitive, even if he has gone through plastic surgery (should he chose to go to that extreme).

While this apparent oversight should not sully the news that Singapore’s Most Wanted Man is indeed caught, the MHA should pay heed to release details of his capture as quickly as possible, especially over the next few days.

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