PUCHONG MP Yeo Bee Yin’s social media post celebrating the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s rejection of disgraced former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bid for house arrest has been sharply rebuked, particularly by UMNO leaders.
Yeo is not the only DAP leader who openly “rejoiced” over Najib’s failed bid to serve the remainder of his jail sentence at home.
Others like former three-term DAP Petaling Jaya Utara/Damansara MP Tony Pua who is credited with unearthing the 1MDB scandal and Pending state assemblywoman Violet Yong also publicly shared similar sentiments.
In fact, PKR lawmaker and Subang MP Wong Chen, too, has cheered Bossku’s misery albeit in a two-worded Facebook post – “Justice live!”
The DAP leaders’ “elation” at Bossku having to stay put in Kajang Prison is understandable considering the party had played an instrumental role in Najib’s downfall in the 2018 general election and his subsequent incarceration.
Pale shadow of its past
After all, Najib went down for his role in 1MDB which has been dubbed as one of the largest heists in the country if not the world.
The rhetoric by DAP leaders following the court’s rejection of Najib’s house arrest bid also serves to remind the public of the party’s anti-corruption stance, particularly while it was still in the Opposition.
But the latest posturing by the likes of Yeo runs counter to the party’s perceived current stance on graft and good governance.
Take its position in the Madani government. Before the 2022 national polls, it openly demonised UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for alleged corruption but today the party has no qualms embracing him as Deputy Prime Minister (DPM).
And this is despite Zahid receiving a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) for 47 corruption charges although the prosecution had already established prima facie in the trial.
A similar pattern appears in the controversy surrounding Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, the ex-senior political secretary to the prime minister, who is now facing multiple corruption charges over alleged receipt of cash and goods from businessman in the centre of the Sabah mining scandal, Datuk Albert Tei Jiann Cheing.
In search of lost fangs
There was hardly a whimper from DAP when it would have taken to the streets in the past for lesser perceived transgression.
And speaking of Tei, DAP Sabah shamelessly remained in the previous Sabah state government despite several leaders in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-ruled government, including its Chief Minister being implicated in an explosive mining scandal.
Whatever happened to DAP’s mantra of “leaders must not only be clean but perceived to be clean” or CAT (Competence, Accountability and Transparency) once propagated by now party adviser Lim Guan Eng which is seemingly shifting towards “3Ps” (Power, Position and Perks).
Were positions and power – denied to the 59-year-old party for much of its existence – so seductive so much so that it had lost its voice in the face of expediency?
If so, then it is no wonder that DAP was wiped out during the 17th Sabah state elections after all eight of its candidates lost.
Which brings us to the question: Were DAP leaders like Yeo trying to revive the party’s fledgling fortunes as manifested in its Sabah electoral rout by once again turning Najib into a punching bag?
If so, DAP leaders need to be reminded that anti-corruption efforts depend less on rhetoric and more on consistent application of standards across the political spectrum.
Celebrating a legal decision against one figure while offering tacit support or quiet tolerance for others with their own corruption baggage weakens credibility.
Malaysia’s democracy thrives on accountability that is even-handed, not opportunistic. For DAP, the path forward demands a coherent, transparent articulation of what anti-corruption means in practice – not only in opposition to former opponents but also in scrutiny of current allies and associates. – FocusMalaysia
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