'I help you, you help me': Did Malaysia and NZ CONSPIRE on sex attack envoy?

'For them to allow Rizalman's departure and to keep quiet for a month...'

Prudent: I have a niggling suspicion: Did the New Zealand authorities succumb to a sufficiently generous back‑hander and agreed to cover up the incident until it was blown open by the New Zealand Herald report?

For them to allow Malaysian diplomat Muhammad Rizalman's departure and to keep quiet for a month, something smooth appeared to have been in action. After all, the crime is very serious and the impartial reaction would have been to arrest, charge and detain.

Immunity would have to be tackled separately. They did arrest, detain and charge. Why then did the New Zealand authorities, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) officials, agree to Rizalman's departure, leading to suspected hush‑up?

Why did the New Zealand police agree to this? Instead of allowing Rizalman's departure, why did not the New Zealand MFAT press for a waiver of immunity instead of one month later i.e. recently, after the bird had flown?

I believe heads must also roll in New Zealand.

Versey: Indeed, the question, "What was Rizalman doing in the past one month, and when was the inquiry board set up?" has been on our mind and not only that quite disturbing, "Was this his first and last time being a suspect."

This happened in New Zealand, a country that enjoys press freedom and values human rights, with a governing body that is relatively transparent and more accountable to its people, yet the Malaysian Foreign Ministry "had the cheek" to write and request to drop all charges and have the case "sealed".

What more if such case had happened in other Third World countries where the governments are less accountable to its people and more ready to compromise? This naturally leads us to wonder if this is an unprecedented occurrence, or our foreign ministry is so used to it that it needs no second thought to do what they have done?

A.A: Until the accused is physically back in New Zealand to stand trial, I won't be too surprised if there is any sudden reversal in decision. Things can change in just a matter of weeks or days or even hours. We have seen all this before.

The New Zealand government should have Muhammad Rizalman extradited as soon as possible, if it really wants him back there to face charges.

Bumiputhran: They are unprincipled liars. The person may be innocent until proven guilty, a good principle. But can these low lives defend their request to hide an alleged crime.

These same Allah-worshiping Muslims sought in writing that the New Zealand government "seal" the investigation papers and close the case, to 'kow tim' (make the problem go away) as they do in Malaysia. For a moment, did these people ever think of the poor victim?

Bystander: How do we expect the loved ones of those victims in MAS flight MH370 to believe in the Malaysian government with this New Zealand episode? Foreign Minister Anifah Aman needs to resign for the contradiction and lies during his initial press conference over the matter.

It was not until New Zealand posted the official correspondences between the two countries that set it right on course again. How is the Malaysian government going to worm out of this? They have a stupid mentality and are living in denial all the time.

They are so arrogant and stupid that they have forgotten this is not a local issue where "wonders" can be performed on the problem, with endless possibilities.

Keturunan Malaysia: It has now become more and more obviously a question of, "What is it that you didn't lie rather than what is it that you lied?" for our Malaysia Boleh leaders. So very insultingly degrading for Malaysians.

Muhammad Rizalman bin Ismail

Abasir: The question I have, for which the answer may never come, is this: did high commissioner Rosmidah Zahid act unilaterally when she drafted and dispatched the May 21 letter to MFAT or was she acting in concert with Anifah Aman?

Cry, my beloved country: Was it not a question asked under the Freedom of Information Act that brought this scandal into the public domain in New Zealand, and has led to an unfolding of events? We certainly have not seem the end of it yet.

Anonymous #70881335:Why take so much trouble to try to cover up the case? Guilty or not, due justice will be given out in the country where the crime is committed. How on earth can the trial be conducted here when the victim and witnesses are in New Zealand? Through a mock trial? Please, the whole world is looking at us.

Axolotl: Umno warlords protect their own henchmen, no matter how stupid and unjustifiable their misconduct. This is a patriarchal tradition wherein the father believes he loses face if one of his sons or servants is caught raping or stealing and must therefore cover up at all costs, and accuse the accuser instead.

Ourvotesdecide: Najib and his ministers continue to show yet another of their sheer or utter incompetence and stupidity. It's so shameful for this Najib/BN government, clearly and desperately wanting to cover up this alleged criminal act/scandal which suddenly exploded right in their already very ugly faces.

If such a scandalous criminal act happens in Malaysia, Malaysians would not get to know about it at all. Luckily, it involves New Zealand, people outside Malaysia.

Now, they even have the audacity to bargain when to send the suspect back to New Zealand. Aiyo, this one suspect can even hold the prime minister and his whole Malaysian government to ransom? Is he so powerful?

Fair Play: For a small nation, we sure have a knack to be constantly on the radar of the international community ‑ Flight MH370, bible seizures, body snatching, prohibition of use of the said word by other faiths, etc.

But a smaller nation with a population of some four million people managed to land the knock‑out punch and knocked some sanity into the powers‑that‑be to do the right thing, albeit unwillingly and with some really hard arm-twisting.

KnockKnock: Are we asking stupid questions? Are we expecting the government to be transparent? Joke of the day.

Snake‑in‑the‑grass: Cover‑ups are essential for keeping the dumbos happy always in the status quo of ignorance. -M'kini