WITH Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s conviction and jail sentence, there is more light at the end of the tunnel but the big battle will be the 15th General Election (GE15), as even UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan has agreed that it will be a “battle of rule of law versus corruption”.
Rosmah’s conviction and jail sentence for corruption, a week after the Federal Court’s unanimous dismissal of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s first corruption trial, indicates that there is more light at the end of the tunnel.
There is no guarantee that this will represent the final victory of the return of the original nation-building principles and policies as stated in the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara, as there is a big battle looming ahead – the 15th General Elections (GE15).
Ahmad Maslan had said that Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) must win big in GE15 so that Najib Razak’s “sacrifice” for the party will not be futile. The Pontian MP wants the former prime minister’s Bossku spirit to be continued by BN.
There is no word of regret for the 1MDB mega scandal, no word of remorse for Malaysia’s worldwide infamy of being a kleptocracy and no word of contrition at the other 1MDB scandals like the recently-exposed RM9 bil littoral combatant ships (LCS) scandal.
Maslan’s statement is virtually saying that GE15 will be a battle of the “rule of law versus corruption”.
There was no surety beforehand that Najib will be jailed or Rosmah found guilty. The fact Najib is now serving his jail sentence and Rosmah was pronounced guilty of corruption marked an important milestone in a national reset to return to the original nation-building principles and policies of the country.
These are the constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, good governance, public integrity, meritocracy, respect for human rights and national unity from our multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural diversity, where there are no first-class and second-class citizens, whether based on race, religion or region.
“A vote for Najib and Rosmah”
UMNO and BN want to turn GE15 into a vote for Najib and Rosmah, and a vote against the nine judges who had unanimously judged Najib guilty of corruption and the High Court judge who found Rosmah also guilty of corruption on Thursday (Sept 1).
In the next general election, a vote for UMNO and BN will be a vote for Najib and for corruption against the rule of law.
EMIR Research chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Rais Hussin was right when he wrote: “The signs of UMNO trying to re-dominate the judiciary are already clear”.
To Rais Hussin, UMNO wants to “put a lease on the future attorney-general should UMNO/BN come to power”.
Former Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah, former Bersih 2.0 secretariat manager Mandeep Singh and steering committee members Toh Kin Woon and Jay Jay Denis are right in saying that the struggle against graft by Malaysians who took to the streets in the Bersih rallies has borne fruit in the conviction and sentencing of Najib and Rosmah.
They thanked Malaysians for taking to the streets to protest despite the various threats and challenges lobbied against them by the then Government.
In retrospect, the Bersih rallies and the “political miracle” of the 14th General Election (GE14) of May 9, 2018, were just the first steps in the long struggle lasting decades and spanning several General Elections for a national reset to return to the original nation-building principles and policies embedded in the constitution and Rukun Negara.
Malaysians must be prepared for the long haul in the battle to save Malaysia as a united, harmonious and prosperous nation and to become a world-class great nation. – Sept 3, 2022
DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang is the MP for Iskandar Puteri.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: Sinar Harian
