If you do the crime, you must do the time

When I was much younger than Pekan MP Najib Abdul Razak’s daughter, Nooryana Najwa, I was seated in one of the clusters of creaky wooden buildings along Jalan Duta which was the Magistrate’s Court.

A lady clad in a baju kurung sobbed after being jailed for two years for stealing jewellery from her employer.

I have watched several jaga kereta being brought in handcuffs to be charged. Their offence? Not producing their identity cards when requested by a policeman. The sentence was a fine of RM25 (big money at that time) or two weeks after pleading guilty. Guess which route they opted for?

Later, when “promoted” to cover the Sessions Courts, I listened to lies on oath, pleas in mitigation and other utterances which would sometimes tug your heart. The felons - robbers, rapists, thieves and extortionists – some of whom were sweet-talkers would try to talk themselves out of trouble.

There was no one shedding a tear for them except in some cases, an elderly woman hoping her wayward son would be given a chance to turn over a new leaf.

Much later, I sat stone-faced as one inspector Saderi Abdul Samat, a convicted murderer (incidentally the man who prosecuted him was Mohd Shafee Abdullah) had his last visitors before he was hanged the following morning at the Pudu Prison.

While the father, mother and son were locked in embrace and tears, I sat recording those final moments in my mind for the Malay Mail.

On Wednesday, tears flowed outside the court complex in Jalan Duta after Rosmah Mansor was charged with 17 counts of money laundering and avoiding tax.

Tears came not from her parents or their family but from one Ramesh Rao who gained infamy for making all kinds of allegations when Sarawak Report was releasing one leak after another on the 1MDB scandal.

“She’s like a mother,” he declared between sobs and spoke of the virtues and qualities of the Najib’s wife.

Nearby, there was a virtuoso performance by actress Ellie Suriati for the media. Like in a real-life drama, she declared “It’s really ridiculous and bogus,” of the charges against Rosmah. (She got her five minutes of fame – UK’s Guardian newspaper quoted her)

From far-away Chicago came yet another harangue from Nooryana. She went on a tirade: "I can accept taking action on a man who was in power, but putting the women in his life in harm's way is going too far. Two weeks ago, you raided his mother's house, and today, you remand (sic) his wife, and plan on charging her the same day her husband is due in court. I suppose tomorrow makes for a great picture and media circus.”

Going too far? Media circus? The circus folded its tent and closed shop in the early hours of May 10 when we elected a new government.

The days when the mainstream media recorded even the length and sound of your father letting out gas are over. They then did it not for posterity but for fear his minders would take offence.

In a lengthy Instagram post, she said: “Too sad to cry, too angry to scream, I just got up, took wuduk (ablution) and prayed tahjud (night prayer) for Mummy.” Social media reacted to her post, to the point of being unmannerly and abusive.

Answers forthcoming at trial?

There were other points to ponder. The extravagant wedding, the highly-publicised cost of the flowers and the decorations raised eyebrows.

Explaining such indulgence on June 9 last year, I remarked: “The discovery of cash in the millions at the homes of officials of the Sabah Water Board made the transfer of RM2 million into the account of an unemployed housewife child’s play. Has anyone explained?

“How would you describe such overindulgence? Crazy or madness or insanity? Yet, these people whose hands are tainted continue to lead lives, living up with the Joneses and pretend as if nothing had happened.”

Hopefully, many answers will be forthcoming when the trial comes underway next year.

On Thursday, I asked on Facebook: Why is there so much hatred of this lady (Rosmah)? Some of the responses are unprintable because of the caustic language and scathing words.

There was not a single respondent who had something good to say.

Without a proper survey, it would be wrong to use comments on social media as a yardstick to measure her popularity or disapproval.

But the designer bags, the extravagant shopping trips and her taste for diamonds which have been chronicled in the international and later in local media have certainly influenced their opinion.

There is little sympathy for the once self-acclaimed First Lady of Malaysia and the use of government apparatus with little regard for rules and regulations.

The many in high places who had incurred her wrath are quietly enjoying the retribution, thanking the Almighty for answering their prayers.

Nothing personal but I strongly believe in the adage: If you do the crime, you must do the time. Anything less will be a travesty and mockery of justice.

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R NADESWARAN will neither shed crocodile tears nor be stone-hearted for the unemployed housewife on judgement day. He can be reached at: citizen.nades22@gmail.com -Mkini