The Truth Matters . . . Not To Detractors.

Its often said that the truth matters. That truth shall prevail. We hear it from our formative years, our parents constantly drilling it into us. Then it happens. When we grow up, we do the same but practice not.

The controversial release of Razak Baginda who was accused of the murder of the now infamous Altantuya Shariibu Murder had indeed stroked further the imaginations of conspiracy theory subscribers. That he was released and acquitted, and the fact that the prosecution did not appeal the verdict added fuel to it. Now he has done one better by finally appearing for a press conference, earlier not showing up for one.

All this cannot help Razak one bit as he attempts to justify his position.

Which leads us to this, the Courts found him innocent, Razak provides details for the first time, and in his course, verifies that Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Datin Sri Rosmah Mansor were not known to the victim. He further stated that the purported claims that the victim was linked to an arms deal never happened.

So how are we convinced that Razak is guilty?

Razak said it. Bloggers were responsible for spreading the theories, and after many statutory declarations that were made and withdrawn, it helped these accusations. Fact that even Anwar Ibrahim had supported it said even more. But how did it come about?

Mainly from Malaysia Today, in fact mainly from Raja Petra Kamaruddin. And how is he getting away with it? Simply because those that he chose to name in his many postings choose not to give him the time of day. RPK is no doubt a popular blogger. His uncanny ability to get his readers to indulge in his many fantasies seems so uncomplicated. But if you really look into the details like some who care do, you should be able to find the misleading ‘facts’. For example, the proclaimed date and time of Datin Sri Rosmah and her ‘presence’ in the site of the murder does not even correlate with her time being at that place. It doesn’t matter, because if anyone actually pays notice to the person who claimed so would have been easily written off as a Najib collaborator.

And that really brings us back to the title. Truth matters, but not to the detractors.

Stand back and take a good look around you and try to imagine you being the accused, going against the might of Malaysia Today. Hurts, doesn’t it?

Trained journalists are taught to do that. Verify statements and check around for details, however minute it can be. Bloggers? Most of them trumpet the sensational stories. Don’t believe me. Check for yourself. Look through the more popular pro opposition blogs, or for that matter, pro government blogs, and see and ask for yourself. Look at the skewed writings of Bernard Khoo, whose post are as littered with made up facts as many as potholes in Johor Bharu (Post in question vary from Zakaria’s Palatial home where he used photos of the purported Mugabe house, and claims of the use of Government Jet by certain Government officials). The mainstream media may want to tell you what they want you to see, but you can be rest assured that they will tell it as best as they can.

The truth does indeed matter, to us who aim to do. Telling fibs is just not on.