Are the wheels of justice sputtering to a halt?

To remind Malaysians that he is still relevant, the convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak traverses the country in scenes that are reminiscent of the victory tour of the victors in the Hunger Games.

He struts about like a hero, not just in Johor, but in Malacca and other states. The police outriders make him seem like a visiting dignitary. The red carpet is rolled out for him.

Respected pillars of the local community line up to greet him. Babies are thrust into his lap. Women rush forward to take selfies.

Najib knows what works. In these days of Covid-19 induced gloom, the gaiety of Najib's carnival-like trips, will temporarily lift the people from their mild depression after two years of forced isolation.

Najib has learnt his lesson well. The former First Lady of Malaysia (FLOM) does not accompany him on these trips. He knows that as soon as KakRos accompanies him on these public outings, the magic between him and his supporters will disappear.

They only see her avarice and the Hermès-Birkin bags. KakRos is told to stay away.

Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, in court

Najib's trips are designed to lower the self-esteem of his political opponents, but more importantly, it is directed at the rakyat, and is meant to remind them that "Cash is king" and that if "You help me, I will help you".

Najib uses mind games on members of the gullible public. If he were to stay away, they will assume he is guilty. As he dares to show himself in public, the naïve Malaysian mind thinks that Najib must be innocent.

In the end, the most serious threat to national security, which threatens to destroy harmony and cause investor confidence to plummet, is not the communists, the DAP, Christians, or liberal Malaysian activists. It may well be our justice system.

Of course, this is not true, but the manner in which Najib's lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, has yet again vacated his RM9.5 million money laundering trial, gives the false impression to the public that the wheels of justice in Malaysia are not just grinding slowly, but they appear to be sputtering to a halt.

On March 1, we were told that Shafee was overseas, to meet a prospective Queen’s Counsel (QC) to represent Najib.

There is a saying that an incompetent lawyer can delay a trial for months or years, but a competent lawyer can delay one even longer. Shafee belongs to the latter category.

Dog ate my homework

Cast your mind back to when we were teenagers at school, or young adults at work. The excuses we concocted to ‘ponteng’ from school ranged from the dog ate my homework, to my grandmother died (for the umpteenth time!), to the recurring illness, to the important must-attend-wedding in the family.

Shafee has also dished out similar excuses to delay Najib's trial.

The rakyat are understandably fed-up. If the Malaysian elite can commit crime, be sentenced and still be allowed to roam free and be treated like celebrities, what does that say about how our nation is governed, but more importantly, about our judiciary?

Ministers are Malaysia’s “untouchables”. It appears that they can do no wrong. They are not subject to the laws which govern the rakyat. Ministers and their cronies, escape all punishment. Any court judgment appears to work in their favour, with only minimal fines.

Many Malaysians feel that the untouchables are treated with kid gloves. This two-tiered system of justice will make the rakyat lose interest in how the nation is run. The public apathy generated is dangerous because the extremists and nationalists will fill the vacuum.

Anyone with half a brain is aware that for as long as Najib is free, he does more harm to the economy, he dents investor confidence and destroys harmonious relationships in the nation.

With confidence comes hope. With hope comes the passion to rebuild our nation. The economy is key to rebuilding Malaysia, but for as long as Najib remains unpunished, foreign investors see neighbouring countries as safer and more attractive havens. - 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.