“This 20th witness testimony pretty much contradicted all the earlier 19 testimonies, and yet some people have the guts to say that “the truth is finally out” and that the firemen should be charged for making false statements!”
Jae Senn
In the past couple of days, many people rejoiced at the testimony of Budd Mohsin which seems to support the allegation that Adib was struck by a vehicle and not beaten by the mob.
Budd is the 20th witness called to testify at the inquest, and we have to hold our horses here as his testimony is currently the ODD ONE OUT that isn’t corroborated by the other accounts.
1. He said that Adib was outside the van when the FRT backed into the EMRS van. However, testimonies from two firemen said that Adib was still in the EMRS van when the FRT struck it and caused it to rotate.
2. He said he saw Adib crushed between two cars as the EMRS van was slowly being pushed rearwards with Adib pinned between the van and a parked car. However, this does not tally with the findings of the specialist doctor who found largely localized injury to the chest area.
Getting sandwiched between a van and a car will result in multiple injuries throughout the thighs and midsection. The doctor also testified that there was severe blunt trauma caused by a sudden accelerative force. Getting sandwiched and crushed between two vehicles will not produce such a localized blunt trauma, and it’s not injury from an accelerative force.
Just look at the attached picture of what it looks like for a person to be sandwiched between a van and a car.
3. Budd claimed to see Adib collapse after getting crushed between two vehicles, and was immediately carried away by a group of people. An earlier testimony from one of the people who went to Adib’s aid instead said that he saw a mob surrounding and hitting someone. After the mob cleared, he saw a fireman in the middle, hunched in pain, and was carried away by another group who wanted to rush him to the hospital.
4. He claimed he saw Adib collapse on the road, and was facing the petrol station. Earlier witness testimonies however stated that Adib was sitting upright but hunched forward, “in an L-shape”, clutching his body in pain and unable to speak, in a state of shock. He wasn’t on the ground, and he wasn’t facing the petrol station.
In all the 19 witness testimonies that came before, a more coherent narrative was starting to form. However, this 20th witness testimony pretty much contradicted all the earlier 19 testimonies, and yet some people have the guts to say that “the truth is finally out” and that the firemen should be charged for making false statements!
The fact is, as sensational as Budd Mohsin’s claims were, it does not align with the 19 earlier testimonies from firemen and other members of the public, including those who had gone to Adib’s aid and accompanied him to the hospital.
Therefore, believing that Budd’s story is the truth is a premature judgment to say the least.
Is there a possibility that Adib was assaulted and stomped upon? There certainly is, but it’s still circumstantial. Is there a possibility that Adib was somehow hit by a reversing vehicle at his chest level that, as far as we know at this point, is probably neither the FRT truck nor the EMRS van? There’s still a chance that this could be true although not highly likely.
But, could events have played out as what Budd Mohsin testified? Probably not, unless all the earlier 19 witnesses have not been telling a credible account of what happened that night and Budd Mohsin is the only truthful witness.
In such a situation, Occam’s Razor might dictate that Budd’s account is straightforward and requires less assumptions, therefore it must be correct. However, basic rules of probability and data reliability will also dictate that if only one out of 20 data points are in conflict with the remaining 19 data points, this odd-one-out is quite likely to be incorrect.
Why do people find Budd’s testimony appealing, then? For one, it plays up to certain people’s inherent bias in wanting to believe that Adib was not beaten up and that his death was caused by fellow firemen. On the other hand, various research in cognitive science have also shown that people have a tendency to subscribe to odd-one-out options and beliefs because they feel it makes them different, non-conformal and unique.
The inquest is still ongoing and the authorities have yet to draw a definite conclusion. But either way, it’s a Catch-22 for the Pakatan government which is entirely unenviable.
If they conclude that Adib was struck by a vehicle, the crowds will say that it’s a cover-up to prevent racial tensions and whack the government non-stop. If they conclude that Adib has indeed been beaten to death, there will be calls for swift justice and for ministers to be fired, and people will be whacking the government non-stop.
No matter the outcome, the government will still have to standby to soak up public anger.
