YUSOFF Rawther is the man of the hour but not for any admirable deed he has performed on the national stage.
It’s just that this former political aide is accusing the most powerful man in the country of sexual assault, and the person who can rock the ruling government to its foundation.
And he’s the one man the opposition wants to embrace wholeheartedly because in him and through him it sees an opening to deliver a knock-out blow to Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Already, opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin smells a rat in the circumstances surrounding the jailing of Yusoff and his subsequent acquittal over charges related to drug trafficking and possession of fake pistols.
He’s even stirring the people to rise up and bring those supposedly involved in framing Yusoff to justice, though it’s unlikely people will take to the streets knowing it’s more a political stunt.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, too, is all fired up and wants a royal commission of inquiry set up to find out who is the prime mover behind this affair.
To spice up his point, the Bersatu leader stretched his imagination a bit too far with his wild claim that Malaysia might turn into a “Gestopo state” if the rule of law is not upheld.
For a long time, the opposition has been looking at various ways to get back into power and Yusoff can be regarded as a godsend to PN. Here is one man in whom, it seems, all the hopes of PN rest.
Now, what the opposition leaders need to do is find the “smoking gun” to prove that someone had indeed framed Yusoff on orders of the mastermind.
According to the PN detectives, someone must have planted the forbidden items that led to his nine-month incarceration, and a place on death row, to boot.
Armed with a magnifying glass, they must be looking diligently for any political fingerprints or footprints that would conclusively establish that the trail ends at the doors of Putrajaya.
From their observation and reasoning, these “Sherlock Holmes” would deduce that the person who planted the illegal items on him must have acted on orders from the mastermind.
Who’s this mastermind? Aha! The political sleuths must be rubbing their hands gleefully as they relish the thoughts that they are getting closer to the eventual target.
Once the truth is out, oh mind, all the “Dr Watsons” and “Sherlock Holmes” in PN would be jumping up for sheer joy because they have nailed the main actor in the Yusoff drama.
It’s all elementary: Yusoff accused a powerful political figure of sexual assault. The case might go to court for a full hearing. So, stop Yusoff in his track! And the plotters went to work.
This one discovery alone, reasons the opposition, can cause the swift demise of the Madani government, never mind the sexual assault case.
But let the police decide who framed Yusoff, if indeed there is such a conspiracy.
Meanwhile, make sure Yusoff doesn’t disappear when he has to eventually take his stand in the witness box against his former boss Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, now the prime minister of Malaysia. ‒ June 18, 2025
(Note: Yusoff Rawther is not out of the woods yet. The Attorney-General’s Chambers has filed an appeal against his acquittal)
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Utusan Malaysia
