Letter to Editor
I AM an ordinary housewife who hardly writes letters to the editor. However, on this important issue about the royal pardon for our former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak, I feel compelled to write.
Najib was holding the highest position in the country, not just any ordinary minister; therefore, we expected him to serve the nation with the highest level of integrity and honesty, and serve as an example to the other cabinet ministers.
If he had served the nation well as a prime minister, he would have received the highest respect from the rakyat. However, many of us were unhappy that he had abused his power and used the SRC International Fund as though it belonged to him, and in the process, caused the country to be in great debt for at least two generations.
Many of us are already experiencing hardships, and we know that it would take the country the next 20 years until 2039 to settle 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s (MDB) current debt of over RM50.5 bil. This means my generation, that of my children, and their children.
This is why the King should also take into consideration the feelings of the rakyat when deliberating the royal pardon.
The 1MDB scandal has become the talk of the whole world after the US Department of Justice first exposed it, and we became known as a kleptocratic nation because of Najib who initially denied the allegations.
Locally, the court process has also taken more than five years, involving a total of nine judges who ruled that he was guilty of all the charges in the SRC International trial.
Therefore, I appeal to Your Majesty, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah to act wisely, justly, and fairly towards the rakyat, and not to use your power to grant a royal pardon on the basis of Your Majesty’s friendship with Najib. It would not be fair to the rakyat.
Malaysia cannot afford to continue being labelled as a kleptocratic nation, which allows a villain, especially someone holding such a high position, to go scot-free after the courts have found him guilty of the charges.
To grant him a royal pardon until he has served the full term would affect even Your Majesty’s own reputation. We will become a laughingstock to the whole world if our former prime minister is charged and found guilty by nine judges from the higher courts, yet could be freed with just a magical wand that grants a royal pardon.
Every debt, Tuanku, has to be paid in full. Major crimes, especially those involving public funds, have to be punished severely to serve as a strong reminder to any potential offender in the future. The integrity of the law must be upheld at all times.
The current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has a major task now to manage the national debt, which has reached RM1.5 tril, which is more than 80% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Malaysia.
Please do not forget that Anwar himself served two full jail terms, and even his second term was nearly up, before he was granted a royal pardon.
Justice, Tuanku, must be upheld by Your Majesty on behalf of your subjects, not just for one individual, who deserves to reap what he has sown. If he and others are willing to pay the debts on his behalf, only then can a royal pardon be considered, but he has to at least serve the maximum term. — April 9, 2023
Chua Yuet Ling
Petaling Jaya
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
