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THE Cambridge Dictionary defines “deep state” as “organisations such as military, police or political groups that are said to work secretly in order to protect particular interests and to rule a country without being elected”.

It is not easy to determine if deep state is at work in Malaysia but every effort must be made to investigate the numerous cases thoroughly to ensure that no stone is left unturned.

And if deep state is involved, the authorities must act fast and saboteurs must face the music.

Within just a short span after the unity government was set up, the country witnessed the sudden “policing” of non-Muslim attire in public facilities.

The question is why was there a sudden obsession about the dress code? Who gave the instructions? Was it done formally or informally?

From the brouhaha of the desirable attire to deal with government agencies we then witnessed another incident in Kelantan where a shop assistant was issued a summons for adorning a t-shirt and a pair of shorts in her own shop.

Now, Terengganu is imposing its strict Shariah-compliant attire even on international tourists. This could potentially harm the country’s image as a preferred tourist destination.

What is the commonality in all these incidents?

Then, we saw a sudden shortage of chicken, eggs, flour and rice in the country which not only appear to be “artificial” but seemingly a concerted effort by some hidden hands.

The government has set up a special task force to carry out inspection of premises which allegedly hoarded the local white rice (BPT). The confiscation of 180 tonnes of BPT from a rice miller based in Kedah, for example, may indicate something more cynical, hence the attempt to hoard the BPT should not be viewed as an isolated incident.

To get to the bottom of things, one has ask if there are some undercurrents attempting to cause the Malaysians public lose their patience with the Madani government.

The authorities, especially the Special Branch, need to go beyond what is obvious and get to the bottom of the things so that we can address the food shortages which drive the prices of goods up.

More signs of deep state

Recently, when Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail claimed he was close to achieving his KPI (key performance indicator) in solving the issue of stateless people, he was criticised on every front by both the Opposition and some NGOs (non-governmental organsaitions).

We also read about the raid of Swatch outlets. If Saifuddin himself had not instructed the officials to carry out the raid, who did? Was it carried out to embarrass the Madani government when nobody even paid attention to the watches before this?

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A couple of days ago, veteran journalist Kean Wong was arrested because of the book cover of the banned book, “Rebirth: Reformasi, Resistance, And Hope in New Malaysia” which allegedly featured an insulting image of the Malaysian coat of arms.

We give the benefit of the doubts to Federal CID chief Datuk Seri Shuhaily Mohd Zain who merely carried out his duty but the question one should ask is why was Wong who only edited the book, be blamed for the book cover?

Given that the publisher had tendered his apology since the issue first erupted in July 2020, why was a police report still lodged to implicate Australia-based Wong when he wanted to renew his passport?

To link the arrest of Wong to the Madani government is a far-fetched proposition, especially since the book is on the battle cry of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his 25 years of political struggle.

A nationwide shutdown at the passport offices nationwide on Thursday (Oct 19) could suggest more than just a system failure even as services came back to normal later in the day.

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If all observations point to involvement of deep state, one can expect more frequent disruptions that cause the economy to come to a standstill.

Unless we humans stand in unity with the benevolent race of Autobots led by Optimus Prime to fight the deep state and the cancer of corruption, the country may yet again come under the control of the merciless and brutal Decepticons. – Oct 21, 2023.

The post Netizens have been asking: Is the deep state at work? first appeared on Focus Malaysia.