KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
The famous quote by philosopher George Santayana still rings true till this day, according to Lieutenant General (Rtd) Datuk Seri Zaini Mohamad Said who is well-known for his role in the Sauk Siege and the surrender of the Al-Ma’unah Islamist militant group in 2000.
Speaking to Malay Mail during the Taman Tugu Human Library (TTHL) event held at Taman Tugu Nursery in conjunction with the upcoming Malaysia Day, Zaini said he is tired but motivated to tell the same story repeatedly for the past 18 years.
“Yes, I do get tired of telling the story every time but then I remember that young people nowadays who are unaware or don’t know how close they were to experiencing a full-blown armed insurrection then,” he said.
Despite retiring from active military duties in 2001, the 73-year-old Zaini was more than willing to recount the acts of valour undertaken by security forces and how he came to receive Malaysia’s highest Armed Forces gallantry award, the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) in 2001.
The highest federal award also known as the Grand Knight of Valour — similar to the United States’ Medal of Honour — is awarded to those who have shown “supreme courage and bravery in extraordinary and highly dangerous situations.”
Born in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan, Zaini joined the Malaysian Army as a cadet officer immediately after high school at the beginning of the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation in 1963.
“My mother was initially worried but my father who was a police officer did not object to my decision. He understood the ‘complexity’ of the current situation at that time.
“I was also keen in the military and was motivated further after witnessing the terrors faced by the local populace during the early days of the Second Malayan Emergency,” he said today.
Recalling the 2000 Sauk Siege, Zaini described how the prime minister at that time — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad — had ordered the operations to be expedited as national security was at stake.
“He (Dr Mahathir) did not want a repeat of the Memali Incident in 1985 and gave an ultimatum to resolve the problem by last light on July 5, 2000,” he said.
Al-Ma’unah and the Sauk Siege
Led by Mohamed Amin Mohamed Razali, the group — on a mission to overthrow the Malaysian government — had conducted a fake inspection at the 304th Malaysian Army Reserve camp in Gerik, Perak through the use of deception to obtain firearms from military armouries on July 2, 2000.
Dressed in military fatigues and equipped with knowledge of military protocols, the group of 29 men then managed to take possession of a huge cache of ammunitions and M-16 automatic rifles from the armouries right in front of military personnel while raising minimal suspicion.
After the brazen heist, the militant group retreated to its main base in Bukit Jenalik located nearby the town of Sauk, about 30 kilometres north of Kuala Kangsar in Perak.
Zaini, who was at that time the Malaysian Army’s field commander, was given a priority mission to contain the situation.
A containment cordon was established in the surrounding area of Gerik and the military obtained its first breakthrough after the local populace reported gunshots and unidentified individuals in military fatigues.
Confirming the group’s presence in the jungle of Bukit Jenalik near Sauk, both the military and police encircled the group and began its siege on the night of July 3, 2000.
Refusing to surrender and taking several security personnel hostages, the group — using military radio frequency — contacted security forces to “negotiate” in exchange for safe passage as a stand-off ensued.
Security forces, not wanting to risk collateral damage, attempted to negotiate a full surrender but to no avail.
Psychological warfare was used to try and coerce the militants to lay down their weapons, but the group remained adamant and insisted on being given safe passage.
On July 5, 2000, Zaini along with several commandos and the police went to meet with Mohamed Amin in a final attempt at persuading the latter to surrender.
Face to face at last, Mohamed Amin attempted to shoot Zaini with his assault rifle but he managed to deflect the gun’s barrel; one of the stray bullets hit another militant.
After a brief tussle, Mohamed Amin was finally apprehended and Zaini later received the SP for his bravery and contribution in ending the siege without further loss of life.
Mohamed Amin and his group were later charged with “waging war against the King”; he was sentenced to death and hanged in August 2006.
Lessons learned 19 years on
Zaini said the saddest part of the entire incident was how a person could be so unhappy that he could motivate himself to commit such an act.
“I came face to face with the Devil himself. When I first saw him (Mohamed Amin), he gave the impression of a man who was arrogant and overconfident but at the same time aggressive-looking,” he said of their first and only meeting.
Zaini said it was important to show solidarity with his former military counterparts… to recognise what these former servicemen have experienced in the line of duty.
“It could have turned into a major problem. I kept reminding myself how close I was to death that day.
“In showing solidarity, we must do it, show it and practise it,” he said.
Asked if he agreed that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, Zaini replied with only one word.
“Precisely,” he said.
