Malaysia has done the unimaginable, and we can do more

 

Malaysia has created history. It is the first time a former prime minister has been convicted, sentenced and sent to prison.

Not only that, the drama is tenfold because it’s a power couple situation. It is also the first time a former "First Lady" has been convicted of a crime (yet to go to prison).

We stay true to our "Malaysia Boleh" spirit and also our obsession with breaking records. For me, this takes the cake of all Malaysian records.

And I have now lost respect for once highly-esteemed records like the greatest number of participants making sausage buns in an event, most number of fathers in a diaper changing event, the longest line of nasi lemak bungkus and, my favourite (which has now been dethroned), the most dice stacked on a cat’s paw.

Finally, after years of witnessing the court case, reading news reports and listening to old uncles and aunties talk in kopitiam and mamak restaurants, we saw Najib Abdul Razak going to prison to serve time.

There were many people who were sceptical, questioning if Najib would actually go to jail. Well, it looks like these naysayers have been proven wrong.

So, what does this mean for Malaysia? It means a whole lot, but I think the most important significance of this is that the sense of the untouchable authoritarian figure (or figures) no longer exists.

Even the most kayangan (high-ranking) figures have finally fallen to the ground, or as the Malay saying goes, as smart as the squirrel jumps, it will eventually fall to the ground.

I know that the word on the street now is that Najib is working for a royal pardon and hence, he will be released from prison.

Bad news for elites

Well, that might sound unfair and it would anger a lot of people because they feel he needs to serve the time that he has been given. However, I think that is irrelevant.

At the crux of it, he has been convicted and sentenced for corruption. The damage has been done.

I would equate this to the 2018 general election. It was the first time since Independence that BN lost its position as the government. It indicated to the people that their votes count and we do have the power to initiate change when we want to.

It is no longer a lost cause when it comes to change.

And it is also irrelevant that two years after that, some unsavoury political manoeuvring saw the Pakatan Harapan government being ousted from power.

Sure, many who voted for Harapan aren’t happy with that, and rightfully so, but the seed has been planted and the people know that we can do it again if we want to.

These are good and progressive steps for Malaysia. I know that many of us expect change and want it to happen immediately. But in reality, that is something too far-fetched. Not impossible, but just a bit of a stretch.

Port Dickson MP Anwar Ibrahim with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad

We need to be patient because every journey begins with a single step, and as long as those steps are in the right direction, we should be okay.

I am feeling positive about the country. Think about it. In the last five years, we have managed to achieve things that were unimaginable just beyond those years.

We managed to vote out the BN government and we jailed a corrupt former prime minister. These things are no longer unimaginable. It actually happened and I can’t wait to see how they rewrite this in our school history books.

Now, those who are in power or planning to be in power have this to think about. They will always have in the back of their minds that it is possible for Malaysians to vote them out, and if they commit crimes against the country and the people, there will be consequences.

And that is a win in my book. Now that the win is imaginable, other wins could be too. - Mkini

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ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary film-maker, journalist and academic. He had waited so long for a change in the system and he is not willing to settle for a half-past-six change. And then the Sheraton Move happened. Visit fatbidin.com to view his work.

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