Were Latheefa Koya and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission jumping the gun in revealing to the public the private conversations on the phone between former prime minister Najib Razak and “buddies” or “conspirators” regarding 1MDB? Some say yes, others say no.
Was it sub judicial and does it actually have a bearing on the case against Najib and the SRC International funds? Perhaps. But that is best left to the court to decide. Lay people who are not legally trained though are entitled to their opinions about that, none the less.
Was the leader of our country, the prime minister, unaware of what was unfolding when the MACC held the press conference? Hard to say.
For all intents and purposes though, what Latheefa and the MACC did, deserves a round of applause from the general public. While our growing population will boast of many a learned person, there will also be a vast majority who will not fall in the category where one can argue about the intricacies of what is legally right or wrong or what crosses the boundaries of accountability and what doesn’t.
Perhaps to such people, this revelation might mean nothing to them or not have an impact on them. Their concerns will surely revolve around bread and butter issues.
Who gains from this MACC disclosure? The progressive and well-educated people are among the winners because, simply put, it is out in the open. Had it not been for Latheefa and the MACC, it may never have surfaced at all if some higher-ups decided that this episode must never be revealed to the public.
The Pakatan Harapan government (although running the risk of antagonising the UAE) stands to gain also because this would further strengthen their claims of being a truly transparent administration.
Politicians who want to cut deals with the government as a result of spilling the beans stand to benefit from this as will a handful of politicians who will use this as an excuse to jump ship.
Najib himself could be a beneficiary if this revelation is used for the purposes of his trial and the impending court cases provided it can be argued in his favour.
But for what it is worth, Najib and Rosmah can put on a pretty face or go into a highly defensive mode or opt for justice from the courts to defend themselves and their actions. But I doubt if this ex-prime minister will ever recover from the fallout of what has transpired.
Perhaps, this was, after all, the underlying objective of one brilliant politician who can cut you into pieces without spilling an ounce of blood.
In which case, Latheefa and the MACC will surely come out smelling as sweet as roses.
Clement Stanley is an FMT reader.
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