YOURSAY | Najib putts air shot with Singapore golf game excuse

 

YOURSAY | ‘He must be punished for violating the limited use of his passport.’

Golfing in S'pore: Am I to spend time with my grandchild 24 hours a day? - Najib

Freethinker: Former premier Najib Abdul Razak asked if he was expected to spend 24 hours a day with his grandchild (upon being granted temporary release of his passport to go to Singapore on the grounds to visit his daughter who was to give birth but then seen golfing with a tycoon while there).

His actions are just like a person who has taken medical leave but was seen in a shopping mall having a meal. The logic is the same. Some things are bad for optics although it may not be illegal.

Anyone would know doing such a thing would cause brickbats from the public, especially someone who often has to postpone his court cases time and again with flimsy excuses.

Najib, the court has been really patient with your antics so far.

Vijay47: Najib, you are quite right in your basic premise that you cannot be expected to be with your grandchild 24/7.

You could have expressed the same thing but in more palatable language. Didn’t your statement-minders tell you that? Oops. I forgot – your PR manager, that party-going Englishman, has fled to points unknown.

You could have made a pleasant response to the social media comments, along the lines of “Being with our daughter and our new grandchild was obviously a moving experience for my wife Rosmah and me. However, we were advised that it would be beneficial to allow child and mother ample time to rest. Thus, I accepted a friend’s invitation to some golf”.

See? Sweet and simple! But no, you had to pull an angry stunt and also crow about your international economic expertise. In the process, you came across as an oaf brimming with arrogance.

And you should have remembered that arrogance makes fellow former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s allergy act up.

Vent: Firstly, Najib shouldn't even have been in Singapore but that said, when has squeaky clean Singapore even come down on off-shore investors no matter what their financial shenanigans?

Secondly, yes, you are expected to spend most of your waking hours with your daughter. That was the reason you were 'released'! Get it? 

I suspect your daughter might expect that at least from you. And in your case, time is of the essence as the slammer is now most clearly on your cards.

Lastly, as a convicted felon your prospect of being eligible for re-election has evaporated. So why in tarnation would a Singapore billionaire want advice from a globally disgraced politician on investing unless he's doing you a favour?

PurpleLion5218: Now let’s assume if the situation was reversed. If the former PM was a Singaporean, he would have been put in the slammer long ago. So, no travel overseas, no golf, no meeting business billionaires or associates.

A prison sentence is the ultimate punishment for someone who is found and proven guilty of committing a crime as a lesson for his behaviour.

Situations like this should fall under the purview of the attorney-general who has the authority to put his foot down to prevent such open abuses by criminals and bring shame to the nation.

Why are we so toothless? The law must be applied fairly to every citizen. We are sending the wrong messages as some people are deemed to be above the law while the ordinary Joe would be put in the slammer even for a single minor offence.

Why is the system so unfair? I remember not long ago an Air Force personnel was fined heavily, stripped of his rank and given a discharge from service for making an inappropriate transfer claim.

How is it that some cases are dealt with severely whilst some convicted criminals are given special treatment?

It’s time for the right people to institute the necessary action to prevent further abuses and proper decorum to be addressed/applied to preserve the law so that we are seen to be doing the right things.

OCT: Najib has no respect for the law. The reason he gave to the court was to see his grandchild. There was no mention of visiting other places as Najib was aware of the condition he applied for.

Now he turned around and showed no respect to the judiciary as he thought he is free to go anywhere he likes.

Najib has forgotten he is a convicted felon and must be on his best behaviour. The root problem is our complacent government which seems to not have the guts to punish him.

Najib still thinks he deserves to be treated as the de facto PM. He must be punished for violating the limited use of his passport.

Jaycee: Singapore billionaire Sam Goi Seng Hui must not have many friends. Why would someone with an upright character be seen playing golf with a twice-convicted felon?

Wouldn't you want to distance yourself from a friend who stole from the taxpayers to enrich himself and his family?

In addition, this person is also a pathological liar who till this day refuses to take any responsibility and still insist he did nothing wrong and the stolen loot rightfully belongs to him.

So Mr Goi, I hope you have enough sense to say no to a thief; the optics do not look good for you too.

Newday: Najib, others of lesser position in society facing the courts would never get their passport released to have family time in another country.

Is it wrong that you play golf while doing so at the privilege of the courts? No. Is it an example of one rule for the elite and harsh rules for the rest? Yes.

Therefore, it is wrong in the eyes of the rest of society that you had freedom to do so, albeit temporary.

6th Generation Immigrant: By any convention, you should not have been granted your passport to travel in the first place; this explains why your golfing in Singapore is a no-no.

You were charged in court and found guilty. You are a tax evader and the summary judgment is for you to pay taxes owed immediately. You are definitely a flight risk.

No sir, you do not have the right to dictate any terms - you lost that when you were found guilty by the court, it does not matter whether or not you personally feel otherwise. - Mkini