Not nomination day yet, but sparks already flying

 

Incumbents have been dropped, the rule of some wayward warlords has come to a premature end, and attempts are being made to cleanse the reputation of certain people with sullied pasts. When the culling takes place, some innocent players end up being sacrificed.

Fortunes have changed for some, many had their political careers sniped on the ascendency, while others have found salvation from their respective leaders, some of whom have chosen to ignore the past for political expediency.

Swapping of seats and exchanges have been done like booty from the spoils of war, parties exchange words of fire claiming some as their personal treasures discovered by their own efforts. Others are treating seats like a family hand-me-down with scions lining up to inherit the family mantle.

There were cases of ‘merajuk’ (sulking) like a child not getting his sweets only to repent and suddenly remember the maxim that in Malaysian politics, it is ‘jangan lawan towkay’ (don’t fight the boss). Like a Tamil movie, all well ends well.

It isn’t nomination day yet, but the sparks are already flying. The announcement of the list of candidates by their respective parties has resulted in many of their past coming under scrutiny and for good reasons too - the need for candidates of integrity and of impeccable character.

Last week, Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob repeated the same mantra used in previous elections - all Umno candidates will undergo a strict vetting process, including checks with the Religious Affairs Department.

Those nominated would be vetted by agencies, such as the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Insolvency Department, to ensure that the candidates are free from any underlying issue that could affect their nomination.

Really? These enforcement agencies can only state if you have been charged, not if you are under investigation, and Ismail Sabri missed the elephant in the room - his president is facing 47 charges including 12 for criminal breach of trust.

There was disappointment for one hopeful. Having spent large sums of money supplying fish and chicken regularly to constituents in Penang, former the head of MACC, Dzulkifli Ahmad, found his name omitted and joined the league of ignominy.

He was infamously caught on tape advising former PM Najib Abdul Razak on the investigations into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and SRC International Sdn Bhd.

In January 2020, the MACC released audio recordings of conversations involving Najib and other high-profile individuals and dignitaries that anti-graft chief Latheefa Koya described as leakage of information from the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), which showed a conspiracy at the highest level of the BN government at the time.

Dzulkifli had sent out social media messages as late as Tuesday about his candidacy. Not surprisingly, his “investments” have all but disappeared.

Also, on the “who’s who” in the audio tapes was Khairul Azwan Harun, an Umno senator and the principal advisor at the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (Cent-GPS). He is the candidate for Pasir Salak.

Umno candidate for Pasir Salak, Khairul Azwan Harun

After the tape was released, Azwan called for Latheefa’s resignation “to safeguard the MACC's integrity and image”, claiming the playing of the recordings to the media was reprehensible.

But before that, he was involved in a high-profile civil suit with then PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli over the latter's claim of possible abuse of funds in Mara’s purchase of properties in Melbourne.

Khairul Azwan had sued Rafizi for distributing and publishing defamatory statements against him at a press conference over the property purchase. In dismissing the suit, Justice S Nantha Balan awarded RM73,000 in costs to be paid by Khairul Azwan to Rafizi. These included the RM23,000 that Rafizi had spent to get documents from Australia.

The judge said there was no malice on Rafizi’s part and noted: “There is to my mind enough evidence to demonstrate that there is a prima facie case for an investigation to be carried out to determine the identities of those involved in the property transactions.”

Jamal Yunos returns

In Selangor, a one-time fugitive and lawbreaker wants to be a lawmaker. Jamal Yunos who also led a mob to the Malaysiakini office in 2016 is now the candidate for Sungai Besar. He is the same man who broke beer bottles at the Selangor State Secretariat building and also turned up in a bathrobe to protest water cuts.

But the irony is that in 2018, the Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal asked Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to step down or go on leave as Umno president. “Looking at the current political climate, Sungai Besar Umno and I are worried. We are not blaming anyone but Sungai Besar Umno has lost trust in the party’s president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi," Berita Harian quoted him as saying.

Jamal Yunos and his red shirts at Malaysiakini

He was the defendant in three defamation suits brought by Pakatan Harapan MPs. He made an apology to Yeo Bee Yin in an out-of-court settlement but was ordered to pay damages and costs to Teresa Kok and Maria Chin Abdullah.

Elsewhere, former MIC treasurer, R Ramanan stepped down from his position in 2014 after a High Court ordered him to return RM5.5 million to psychiatrist Dr M Mahadevan. The court held that Ramanan had fraudulently received the sum from the Defence Ministry when “assisting” the psychiatrist to recover the payment. For the record, he stated that he would appeal the decision but it is not known if the issue has been settled.

Asked why he decided to step down as it was only a civil case and some other MIC leaders had previously been involved in similar cases, Ramanan said it is an honourable thing to do because “he loves the party, Barisan Nasional (BN) and then MIC leader G Palanivel.”

The “love” has since disappeared and he is the Pakatan Harapan candidate for Sungai Buloh and will do battle with former health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

This list may not exhaustive. The worms from the woodwork and the skeletons from the cupboards may emerge as campaigning gets underway. Don’t be surprised if candidates withdraw after nomination. Money is said to be a great mover.

British prime minister, Lord Palmerston in a speech in the House of Commons on March 1, 1848, said: “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”

Principles, values, allegiance, and decency take a back seat. Personal interests supersede everything. Some politicians change sides and their allegiance - to what suits them best.

Politics is no longer what it used to be. For our founding fathers, it was a movement for independence. At that time, although views differed amongst the leadership, the ultimate vision has the same.

As the nation progressed, most people were in pursuit of ideals and the betterment of the people. There was sacrifice and contributions but over the past few years, it has made way for personal and political parties to capture the throne and reward the faithful and powerful followers.

But then, this time around, personal liberty is the biggest stake and even enemies must become friends to have the noses of certain characters above water. - Mkini

---

R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.