KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 14): Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli said his wife got threatening messages a day after their 12-year-old son was stabbed with a syringe at a mall in Putrajaya.
A visibly tired Rafizi said the two messages, sent at 1.12am and 11.02am, appeared to threaten to infect his son with the HIV virus, which brings AIDS infection, if they did not keep silent.
“The messages read: ‘Diam! Andai teruskan, AIDS!’ (Shut up! If you continue, AIDS!). The message had three syringe emojis,” Rafizi said at a press conference in Parliament with other members of Parliament by his side.
He said he has alerted the police of the messages, and will leave it to the authorities to investigate and take the necessary action.
Rafizi believes the threats are linked to his meeting with whistleblowers about a scandal, which took place last Wednesday (Aug 6).
“I think those behind the scandal know that when I investigate, I will dig and dig, and people with information will continue to come forward. So, in my view, this is their way of forcing me to move on and drop it,” he added.
Rafizi, who became emotional when talking about his family’s past struggles, especially during his time in jail, said there are three possible explanations for the injection his son received: it could be drugs or poison, a virus like HIV, or just water or saline.
“He has had an initial check-up and blood tests, and so far, the observation is okay. As a parent, I take comfort that drugs or poison can be ruled out,” Rafizi said.
His son, will have to go through a series of blood tests over the next few months to determine if a virus had been injected.
“My son will still have to go through repeated blood tests to check if any virus was transmitted. We can only be certain after six months, and in the meantime, we will continue monitoring his condition,” he added.
Rafizi believes the messages to his wife were meant to pressure him, but said his family has decided not to back down.
“Life has to go on .. yang kena pergi sekolah, pergi sekolah, yang kena jaga kucing, jaga kucing .. saya jalankan tugas (those who need to go to school, go to school; those who need to take care of the cats, take care of the cats... I carry out my duties),” he said.
On Wednesday (Aug 13), Rafizi’s son was stabbed with a syringe at a Putrajaya mall at around 1.45pm, in what Rafizi believes was a planned attack.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed deep concern over the incident and instructed that investigations be conducted thoroughly and without delay.