Crystal glasses and gate chats: What’s allowed in a house arrest?

 

YOURSAY | 'The whole debacle is a joke, except that it is no laughing matter.'

Minister: 'Pardon authority' to determine restrictions on Najib during house arrest

GreenFalcon2290: There appears to be deliberate obfuscation over the decision to grant a pardon to jailed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak. The grant is the sole prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, meaning no other authority has the power to grant it.

The decision is based on the advice of the Pardons Board. The Agong is understood to act on that advice. So why are we now being told that the decision and the grant are one and the same thing?

There should be no servants to serve “His High Eminence”, nor should there be a list of permitted food, silver cutlery, gold plates, or crystal glasses.

Oh, this is a task with no end. Will the driver be allowed to use his phone? Can friends chat through the gate railings? Are gifts of favourite food and chocolates allowed? Has renovation started to keep the convict separate from the rest of the household?

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has a most onerous and sacred assignment to complete. Rakyat, please wish him the very best.

Meanwhile, are we expected to believe that, in the weeks and months before the announcement, no preparatory work was done on all the ramifications? The announcement just fell out of the sky and caught everyone off guard? I see.

Knucklehead2: What does “pardon authority” even mean? The term does not appear anywhere in our Constitution or laws. It seems invented out of thin air, and now we’re expected to accept it as an established legal concept.

If it has no constitutional or statutory basis, it should be challenged in the Malaysian courts. Perhaps the Malaysian Bar should weigh in on this.

BlueShark1548: “Pihak berkuasa pengampunan” (pardon authority) - inventing new law, Saifuddin? There is no law for house arrest, and now this?

More to follow, because we are dealing with a concept not recognised in our laws, and one that the prison authorities do not have the personnel to enforce.

We love Penang: While drafting the terms and restrictions, don’t forget to add the clause: “Stealing a tin of Milo will not be pardoned, but sakau millions can be considered.”

Hrrmph: When the terms of house arrest are decided, who will ensure that Najib adheres to them? Will prison personnel be stationed outside to conduct periodic checks?

It seems wonderful how this man cannot stop imposing on taxpayers and using money that does not belong to him. He just wants more. Much, much more than his fair share.

LovingM: We wish Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had been given house arrest under his two jail terms. What’s so special about a guy who stole billions? What message are we giving the world - that we love this ex-prime minister so much?

Lone_star: Forthwith, should the new regulations for Najib’s house arrest be named “The National Embarrassment Conditional House Arrest Regulations 2026”?

Most important is that he does not get the full run of the house designated as his “House Arrest Prison” without any monitoring.

Joeganes: Are the terms and restrictions applied equally to all levels and categories of convicts? I urge the Bar and Bersih to provide the necessary checks and balances before he signs anything on paper.

Limfly: This is “putting the cart before the horse”! Pardon first, then define the conditions. The whole debacle is a joke, except that it is no laughing matter.

PurpleMoose5046: Hi, intelligent and caring rakyat. While Saifuddin is doing his best to expedite the implementation of “conditional pardons”, the rakyat is urgently needed to help our Prison Authority come up with the terms and conditions for implementing “conditional pardons” - a first of its kind, extending to our ex-prime minister.

Thank you. Najib is waiting anxiously while Umno is trying very hard to raise money and pay off his RM50 million fine.

Meanwhile, Inland Revenue Board, do your part in clarifying the so-called RM50 million donations from gracious Umno donors. Don’t forget the long-outstanding unpaid taxes owed by the donors, Najib, and his family. Thank you.

One Malaysian: Why must the country come up with a special SOP for so-called house arrest when there is no provision for it under the Constitution? Must the country bend over backwards just for one man?

Wayang: Our justice system always says that no one is above the law, but never says what happens when there is no law? - Mkini