Dennis Ignatius
~ Provoking discussion, dissent & debate on politics, diplomacy, human rights & civil society.
What the addendum issue says about Malaysia
03FridayJan 2025
[1] For months now, a purported addendum permitting former prime minister Najib Tun Razak to serve his sentence in his own luxurious mansion instead of a jail cell, has dominated headlines. There have been court challenges, demonstrations, and heated exchanges of rhetoric.
[2] A massive propaganda campaign is also underway to whitewash the former prime minister. Instead of the convicted criminal that he is, he is being painted as an innocent victim of political vengeance, a good and dedicated leader done in by his close associates, the target of a western conspiracy to unseat an apparently successful Islamic leader.
[3] On January 6 thousands are expected to gather at the behest of UMNO-BN and PAS in support of Najib’s application to enforce the purported addendum. The prospect of UMNO and PAS teaming up is already creating strains within the unity government with UMNO and the DAP hurling accusations at each other.
[4] Needless to say, the whole affair is proving to be a major distraction for the government. Apart from creating political instability and spooking foreign investors, the business of government is being neglected. Support for the Madani government is also eroding – people are angry and frustrated over what they see as political manipulation of the justice system. The addendum issue is doing serious damage to the government’s creditability; yet it is allowed to fester on and on.
[5] The person at the centre of this drama is not Najib however but the prime minister himself. He refuses to either confirm or deny the existence of the addendum. He has admitted that he fast-tracked Najib’s pardon, but has bobbed and weaved around the addendum issue, giving different reasons at different times. He slyly included a house arrest proposal in the text of his budget speech but then denied it had anything to do with the former prime minister.
[6] More shockingly, he has cast doubts on the integrity of the justice system by insisting that several of the high-profile cases were flawed, done with “venom and enmity”, an act of “political vengeance by those in power at the time.” It’s a stunning statement coming from a sitting prime minister. It implies that the judges who ruled that there were prima facie cases to answer (as in the case of Zahid Hamidi) or those who found the likes of Najib and Rosmah guilty also participated in these acts of political vengeance.
[7] It is, of course, utter nonsense, nothing but a vile attempt to discredit the judiciary for political purposes. The integrity of the judiciary has never been higher; the same can’t be said of all the politicians involved.
[8] The real question here is what is the prime minister up to? Why is he allowing this farce to go on month after month? Is he manipulating our justice system just to further some nefarious political arrangement with UMNO to stay in power? Is he so afraid to face the wrath of UMNO if there’s no addendum or afraid to face the wrath of the people if there is one?
[9] And what does it say about our nation that senior politicians from both the government and the opposition are now summoning their supporters to demand the release of a convicted criminal, a man who has been found guilty of crimes against the nation after perhaps the most exhaustive trial in our history?
[10] It’s not just UMNO and PAS; PKR and DAP are just as guilty because they have allowed this farce to go unchallenged for so long. They are quick to attack the opposition, but they lack the courage to stand up to the man most responsible for this travesty – the prime minister himself.
[11] Truly, power has corrupted them all. Collectively, they have taken Malaysia to a new low; their actions reveal a nation so politically corrupt and morally bankrupt that it has lost all sense of right and wrong.
[Dennis Ignatius | Kuala Lumpur | 03 January 2025]
We will kick him and DAP out next election unless they change and govern properly. Thats a promise.
ReplyDelete