News of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak failing in his appeal to the Federal Court and going to jail has gone global.
His freedom ended after the Federal Court decision on Tuesday, Aug 23, 2022 - a historic day for justice and the war against corrupt leaders.
Malaysians can heave a sigh of relief and look forward to honouring the independence of the judiciary of their country on Merdeka Day next Wednesday.
Indeed, there is cause for celebration this Merdeka Day. Independence restored in the judiciary gives special meaning to the idea of Independence Day for the people.
May the yeast of the honest judges work through the corrupt dough of the nation and free it from the deadly disease.
The US described Najib's white-collar heist as ‘kleptocracy at its worst’. The felon's financial shenanigans, legal sandiwara and political grandstanding have imploded. He has no one to blame but himself.
It is time for all Malaysians and Najib supporters to face the truth. Stop defending the guilty. Unite behind just decisions made by just courts and a just chief justice upholding the rule of law for the nation.
Najib’s appeal to a higher extrajudicial authority also apparently failed. God does not answer the prayers of those who lie and steal and show no remorse for their sins.
It is a lesson for all those who hide behind religion and cry political persecution to cover their crimes.
He reaps what he sowed
Najib has officially and beyond question been proven a thief. The West Australian newspaper slammed him as a “Plundering Idiot” in bold headlines on July 29, 2020. It is an apt headline.
He plundered, he got caught, and now he must do the time for his criminal activity. He foolishly gambled away all he had and as they say, pride comes before a fall. Greed also comes before the gaol.
Do the crime, do the time, pay the fine. That is the rule of law, and the role of the law is to convict and punish the guilty, whoever they are, after a fair trial.
No one is above the law. Najib belongs to a notorious privileged breed of corrupt and callous leaders who deserve their just desserts.
Corruption has been dealt a non-fatal blow. The fight is ongoing. New laws must be framed to punish all those in the network of the corrupt.
Wives, relatives, friends, and everyone acting as proxies or recipients of stolen public money must face the law. Proceeds of their crimes must be confiscated, stolen monies recovered, and long jail sentences without pardon imposed.
No comparison to Anwar
Najib tried to undermine the chief justice, a highly regarded judge, Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, and tried to get her removed from hearing his case. He failed.
If he applies for and gets a royal pardon, it will forever tarnish the role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the country.
In the case of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, everyone except the conspirators could observe and agree about his unfair trial and physical abuse in jail. He deserved the royal pardon. His sodomy was not a crime against the nation.
In contrast, Najib tried every trick in the book to test the courts. His ploy in melodrama, undermining the judiciary, attempt in deploying a Queen's Counsel, last-minute switch of lawyers, and so on, all failed.
Anwar was a victim, Najib a perpetrator. There is no comparison.
There are times when a royal pardon is deserving but not in Najib's case. The jail time will do him good.
Who remembers the most famous jailbird who came to his senses in jail for his role in the US Watergate scandal? Special US Counsel Charles W Colson recanted his wrongdoings in prison. He is the author of the bestseller, ‘Born Again’.
Najib once wrote as part of his posts on Twitter and Facebook, “I apologise for any shortcomings and mistakes, and I thank you, the people, for the opportunity to lead our great nation. It has been the honour of my lifetime to serve you and Malaysia.”
Najib stands a better chance of being heard by God in his jail cell if he has a contrite heart and recants the shortcomings and mistakes he confesses.
Jail, not the palace, has reformed many a sinner. Hell is worse for unremorseful and unrepentant wrongdoers in a country that oozes religion and believes in such a place.
One man's downfall is the rise of a nation. The demise of Najib's political career through a decisive court ruling may spell the end of the Umno-cracy.
Umno politicians are not immune from prosecution and getting jailed. This is the judges' point, the new reality. Otherwise, the rule of law is toothless.
Just in time for Merdeka
The Merdeka Day celebration can now be seen in a better light. Fly the flag from the heart. The darkness that hung over the country's independence has dissipated.
The rule of law is alive, and biting even the most powerful crocodile-skinned corrupt politician in the country.
Merdeka, on Aug 31, 1957, was to have ushered in a new nation freed from the injustice of despotic foreign power. Instead, Malaya's independence gradually fell into the abyss with the abuses of power by a form of neo-colonialism.
The judiciary was de-fanged. Public institutions and policies were bastardised. Recently, public servants were told to be partisan to the incumbent ruling party. This is also unconstitutional and undesirable in the public interest.
The independence of the judiciary was under a cloud and a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on the matter has been met with pushback.
All the judges who upheld the rule of law in the Najib trials are heroes of the nation. The Najib judgments have vindicated the courts. They are a formidable check against any corrupt executive arm of the government.
The men and women in our judiciary have overcome evil, even intimidation, and deserve our highest respect and accolades.
The people now have the opportunity to emulate the heroic and honourable judges. They too in the forthcoming 15th general election (GE15) must judge the corrupt and vote them out of power.
Only then will the Merdeka nation free itself from the clutch of the corrupt.
It was a good day in the Federal Court. In a world where many people can be swayed by money and politics, it was a much-needed outcome for good governance. The Malaysian judges have done the law and the nation proud.
Kudos to all those who have made Najib's jailing possible - from journalists who exposed the 1MDB scandal to the Pakatan Harapan federal government that prosecuted Najib. They were true believers.
Indeed, truth and justice are exonerated. Malaysia may yet see a revival.
Happy Merdeka Day! - Mkini
STEVE OH is a long-time Malaysiakini contributor who believes good leaders, not corrupt politicians, are the hope of the nation.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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