Letter to Editor
I AM a MCA life member and I have contributed to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) success under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 1.0 during his 20 years of premiership alongside other comrades, businessmen and fellow Malaysians.
And I am not fighting for BN – not at all – when I accompanied Tun Mahathir to Ayer Hitam on his 3.0 mission. I was actually fighting to uphold the three pillars of Malaysia’s Federal Constitution.
And supporting the courses to stop the “Malu-Apa” campaign as I have previously been doing.
Firstly, I am fighting for the independence of the Malaysian judiciary system. A criminal convicted by the esteemed judges of Malaysia and sentenced to a 12-year jail term must behave himself – one must feel the shame when one is wrong.
An ex-Prime Minister (PM)-turned-criminal and who is now under bail but acted as if he is an innocent person – this is exactly what I am fighting for to preserve, defend and protect the Federal Constitution.
If he is not jailed soonest, then the future of Malaysia and all Malaysians will be in jeopardy. Nobody should be above the law – and as a person under bail – he has given no respect to our laws and no respect to the judges, even when several of the most esteemed judges discredited him and claimed that he is a “national embarrassment”.
Despite the judges’ mercifully placing him under bail, he does not show any regret and is still going freely toxifying our youths with his “malu-apa” campaign while stepping above the law and order of Malaysia vis-à-vis his action.
Not only is he a symbol of corruption but he is also a symbol of “malu” of the highest degree. Indeed, we as fellow Malaysian feel so shameful when the world is looking at us; this is indeed an “international embarrassment”.
Convicted criminal
Secondly, Article 8 of the Federal Constitution states that all Malaysians are equal before the law. And the law must not favour anyone.
Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was forced to don the orange lock-up shirt which all wrongdoers have to wear; and so did Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (opposition leader) the moment he was found guilty, Lim Guan Eng (former Finance Minister) and many others who went straight to jail.
The same must be applied, too, on the ex-PM to show that everyone is equal before the law; a convicted criminal must be treated in the same manner, especially when he shows no respect at all towards the law and order of Malaysia and continued to misbehave. This is to protect the independence of our judiciary system and to keep our law in proper order.
And thirdly, the fourth principle of the Rukun Negara – “Kedaulatan Undang-Undang” – must be the golden standard that governs our society and keeping it in its natural order.
This is a social contract that once a person is charged, convicted and sentenced by the court, then the only right is to have him serve the punishment for his wrongdoings.
Under the law, the ex-PM must be stripped off his political rights and society privileges immediately. It is only common sense that a person convicted under any crime – be it corruption or rape or murder – must not be allowed to run around freely just like that.
Allowing a convicted criminal to roam around freely is very worrying and dangerous. We must be united against a common enemy based on the fundamental values of our country’s Federal Constitution.
I am not against BN. Instead, I am up against a convicted criminal – be it a commoner or an ex-PM of Malaysia. No political party is made up of all angels and likewise, no party is made up of all devils.
Till today, I am still a life member of MCA, of which the leadership has chosen to be under the BN coalition; As such, I would like to call out to fellow BN members to be conscious and to have the courage to right the wrongs and to correct the mistakes from within.
Cooperating with a convicted criminal is definitely going against the oath of MPs to preserve, defend and protect the Federal Constitution.
Working with a convicted criminal is exactly like mistresses in the old era walking towards the graveyard only to be buried alive with a dead tyrant. Right the wrong with courage and conscious.
Country must come first, everything else comes second. – March 10, 2022
Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew is a life member of MCA.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: FreeMalaysiaToday
