Frank Pangallo, a member of the parliament’s legislative council, will move the motion to urge the Australian federal government to investigate claims that Malaysian police might have carried out a slipshod investigation into the disappearance and death of Annapuranee Jenkins, 65.
Parit Buntar-born Jenkins, fondly known as Anna, had been in Penang on a short holiday with her husband Frank.
Her remains were found at an under-construction housing project in Batu Gantong on June 24 last year, 3km away from where she was last seen alighting from an Uber ride at Scotland Road in December 2017.
Police had said last year that it would apply for an inquest to be held and had done their best to cover all angles in their investigation.
In his six-point motion emailed to FMT, Pangallo wants the South Australian parliament to write to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the foreign minister to urge Malaysia to undertake a “serious, formal investigation” into Jenkins’ death.
He has also written to Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and foreign affairs minister Marise Payne asking for the same.
The motion also calls for a larger area where Jenkins’ remains were found to be excavated for a thorough investigation.
“This shameful event is heartbreaking beyond words and all Australians should be alarmed,” Pangallo said in his email.
“Jenkins’ grieving family has been forced to go beyond what any family should have to endure because nobody seems to care, along with the incompetent and woeful investigation, if you could call it that, by police in George Town.
“Anna’s son and daughter have had to become homicide detectives themselves in uncovering some important clues, including the discovery of human remains and some of their mother’s personal possessions.”
Pangallo said the Jenkins’ family was upset by the “apathy and incompetence” of the Malaysian authorities in carrying out a thorough investigation.
He said it was startling that the family was told by police that missing persons cases were not investigated as it was “not considered a police matter, but a family matter”.
He said the Uber driver who last dropped Jenkins off was not formally questioned by police but merely gave a witness statement.
CCTV footage of where she was last seen was not obtained in time before it was erased, the family claimed.
Pangallo said this had forced Jenkins’ children, Greg and Jennifer, to travel to Malaysia “handing out flyers and stickers and speaking to over 1,000 people asking about her whereabouts”.
He said the family had trouble engaging a lawyer, as nearly 200 of them had turned them down, except one. It was reported that the family had hired lawyer Raveentharan Subramaniam.
The family’s own investigations, he said, had uncovered some vital clues which appeared to confirm that foul play was involved.
“Due to the lack of action by Malaysian authorities, the Jenkins family has been forced to undertake its own investigation at a cost of almost A$200,000 to date,” he said.
Pangallo also said the Australian authorities’ apathy over the matter was disappointing.
FMT has reached out to the northeast district police for comment.