Najib belongs in the slammer, not in his mansion

 

When the convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak, made headlines in the papers for lodging, and dodging his appeal, three things stood out.

First. The rakyat did not place Najib in the dock. They put the judiciary on the stand.

Second. The authorities were too lenient with Najib.

Third. We did not have to be repeatedly reminded of Najib's guilt. Once was enough.

Malaysians are screaming for justice. In recent months, we were forced to put up with several corrupt politicians being set free.

Ever since he was sentenced on July 28, 2020, we watched Najib convince his gullible supporters that he is innocent of the seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power.

Hordes of his admirers, mostly women, cried and protested that he was innocent. They are probably intellectually challenged and refused to acknowledge the paper trails and the evidence presented in court.

Equally puzzling was that Najib has retained his honorific. When will his "Datukship" be revoked? Despite being convicted, he remains an MP. Why?

Najib's supporters at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya

If Najib were to receive a royal pardon, a dangerous precedent will be set. The rakyat will have little respect for the courts, but more importantly, they will be livid. The elite cannot afford to make a wrong judgment call.

In some countries, individuals have been fined, sacked or arrested, whilst financial institutions have been financially penalised and forced to shut for the role they played in 1MDB. The royal pardon will further complicate matters.

Najib roamed the countryside like a free man and he should thank his lucky stars that the Malaysian authorities are a sentimental and emotional lot for making this possible.

Perhaps luck has nothing to do with it. He once said, "Cash is king." The primary goal of money is this. Influence. Najib knows that decision-makers in government value the power of money to influence their thinking.

Are the authorities reluctant to jail Najib? Did he once give favours for the elite and behind the scenes, the beneficiaries of his largesse have lobbied to buy him more time?

Secretly pleased

Perhaps, the authorities are aware of the domino effect. If Najib is successfully settled in his new accommodation at Sungei Buloh, the rakyat will soon be clamouring for more convictions.

It is highly likely that some ministers, and many of those who have already left office, are secretly pleased that Najib has not been jailed.

Remember this. It only takes one jailed, high-ranking politician, and you cannot get one higher than the PM, to embolden the rakyat, who will then demand more corrupt politicians be investigated, charged and sentenced to join Najib in his new quarters.

Umno Baru only has themselves to blame. For years, they 'allowed' white-collar criminals to be set free. Now that Najib has been sentenced, the rakyat are only acting like the spectators watching gladiators fight in the colosseum.

When one combatant falls, the hysterical crowd wants more gladiators to fight in the arena to entertain them. Fortunately for most of us, jailing corrupt politicians is not entertainment. Justice is long overdue.

Najib taking a break during the Malacca state election

Najib is a convicted felon and we have been reminded twice about his guilt. He should be sitting in jail, whilst his appeal goes through the courts. Isn't that how the legal system is supposed to work, given that we inherited the British legal system?

He should pay his RM240 million fine now, and if he wins his latest appeal, the money can be returned to him. Follow the Inland Revenue Board's advice. 'Pay first, talk later'.

Instead, we see Najib being escorted by police outriders wherever he goes and in-between visits by his supporters, lounges about in his mansion, protected by police guards. He can travel outside Malaysia, unlike the cartoonist Zunar who was banned from travel, as punishment for highlighting corruption during Najib's premiership.

Najib gave interviews and press conferences, canvassed in by-elections, and used social media to rebrand himself as the innocent victim. All these deliver the wrong message to the rakyat.

It is fortunate that the majority of the rakyat are sensible and are not seduced by Najib's wayang kulit (shadow play).

Investment affected

However, our patience is wearing thin and we have no goodwill left for Najib. He belongs in the slammer, whilst his team of lawyers work on his final appeal.

In other countries - developed, developing and banana republics - the former PM, or president of the country, is immediately taken to prison, as soon as he, or she, is found guilty and sentenced.

On the day that Najib was convicted of all seven charges, a succession of Umno Baru leaders expressed their sympathy for him.

Where was their sympathy for the rakyat affected by the 1MDB scandal?

Not sending Najib immediately to jail will harm Malaysia. The level of mistrust in the authorities, the lack of confidence in our public institutions, and just as importantly, the low perception foreign investors have of Malaysia.

Local investment is also affected. As it is, business owners look over their shoulders wondering when PAS will find fault with their product or service. Moreover, businessmen are reluctant to hand over 51 percent equity of their hard-earned company to bumiputeras.

Malaysia suffers while Najib embarrasses Malaysia. There should be no delay in placing him behind bars for Malaysia to start healing.

Why allow one man to hold the nation to ransom? - Mkini

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.