Crocodile Tears in Court - Didn’t See This Coming, Ah?

OPINION | Crocodile Tears in Court - Didn’t See This Coming, Ah?


23 Nov 2025 • 4:00 PM MYT


Fa Abdul
FA ABDUL is a former columnist of Malaysiakini & Free Malaysia Today (FMT)

Photo credit: The Malaysian Reserve


Wow. That moment in court when Saifullah Minggu, ex-aide to a former Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister, suddenly burst out crying. Six years jail, RM8.8 million fine, and another seven years if he cannot pay. Imagine - six plus seven years! Most people would have seen that coming from a mile away. But him? Crying like the law just struck him blindside.


Honestly, maybe this is why corruption can run so wild in our country. People think the system is lembik - soft, slow, easy to slide past. When the punishment feels like something that happens to someone else, not me - of course temptation is going to win.


But let’s ask the bigger question: why do smart people, knowing it’s wrong, still go ahead and do it?


Psychologists say it’s called moral disengagement - basically, your brain finds ways to cheat your conscience. “Ah, just this one time,” or “Everyone does it,” or “The money is small lah, no problem.” One small compromise, then another… suddenly you’re knee-deep in corruption and somehow your conscience is asleep.


Watching him cry, I felt a mix of pity and eye-roll. Pity, because hey, human, you can feel regret. Eye-roll, because bro, you only cry AFTER getting caught? All this while you were happily pocketing money, thinking no one will catch you. Typical.


Here’s the harsh truth: until enforcement is tight, consistent, and no nonsense, people will keep pushing the limits. They will keep thinking, “Cannot touch me lah,” until one day the gavel falls and they suddenly start bawling like a drama actor.


And let’s be real - this isn’t just about jail time or fines. It’s about confidence in the system. Every time someone like Saifullah gets caught, it chips away at how ordinary folks see our leaders, our ministries, and even our local councils. It makes people start thinking the law is more talk than action, and that speaking up or standing by the rules is just asking for trouble. The system punishes slow, but forgets fast - and the public notices.


So yes, Saifullah’s tears are real, maybe. But maybe, just maybe, they are also the reason the rest of us shake our heads and mutter: “This kind of corruption never ends lah.”