Sirul’s secret puts Najib on shaky ground, says Australian paper

​Former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar's (pic, below) secret about the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu has put Prime MInister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on "even shakier ground", Australian paper The Sydney Morning Herald wrote in a May 9 article.

The article even noted that convicted murderer's claim of having acted on orders to kill the young interpreter had brought" Australia's old diplomatic foe, (Tun Dr) Mahathir Mohamad, out of retirement to speak against his former protégé".

The Herald said the murder and its links to Malaysia's political elite – Altantuya had been involved with one of Najib's advisers and is said to have known details about a submarine deal – was also giving hope to Malaysia's opposition that the ruling coalition was seeing its last days.

The Herald carried report of its meeting with Sirul, who is under detention in Sydney's Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.

The former bodyguard for Dr Mahathir and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was previously visited by members of the opposition, PAS MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar and the party's foreign affairs head, Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad.

They had accompanied Sirul's mother Piah Samad who wanted to meet him following his arrest in Australia after Interpol issued a red alert for his arrest.

“The public is wondering who gave Sirul the order,” Dr Mahathir had written in a blog posting after the meeting.

“He was Najib’s bodyguard and his allegation must be investigated to determine who gave the order. Najib has only said that Sirul was talking rubbish. There’s been no investigation," Dr Mahathir added.

Over the past four months, Sirul has remained in his high security cell, and has been assured by his lawyers that he will be granted asylum, the Herald reported.

Speaking to the Herald, Sirul says "I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell all yet. I was a member of the police force, we are bound by a code of silence."

The Australian authorities are unlikely to extradite Sirul to Malaysia as he faces the death penalty for the murder.

He brought his secret to Australia in search of political asylum and it was not until Dr Mahathir raised the issue last month, once again linking Najib, publicly calling for a full investigation, that he could have expected anything more from Malaysian authorities.

The Herald also writes that the once muted Malaysian press are now talking.

It says, "With Dr Mahathir's sudden intervention, a subject that was once restricted to underground blogs has gone mainstream.

"Mahathir's protection could provide the move needed to get Sirul out of check in Malaysia's game of chess."