Editor’s Note: It is worth recalling that the entire incarceration process of former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak took place during the reign of the ‘backdoor’ Perikatan Nasional (PN) and later PN-Barisan Nasional (BN) administration.
FRESH from its Jan 6 “victory” on the battleground of the Palace of Justice, PAS must be basking in the adulation and admiration of its members and supporters.
Here is the party of God that dared to take up the cudgels on behalf of an imprisoned former premier in a showdown with the might of the state.
Its army of “warriors” joined by a sprinkling of anak jantan (real men) from the UMNO camp had breached the wall of security and managed to pour into the battlefield just as the judges of the Court of Appeal began their deliberation.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak has succeeded in obtaining permission from the court to get his appeal for house arrest heard in the High Court … no thanks to PAS.
The Islamist party would like to think that it had played a crucial role in the verdict of the appellant court merely by flexing its political muscle in the form of a massive rally.
Its defiant stance would probably embolden its leaders to stage more such rallies in the future in support of controversial causes.
Manipulation par excellence
If the full force of law and order had come down hard on them on the ground of Palace of Justice on that much-anticipated day, PAS would have exploited it to the hilt for propaganda purposes.
To the Malays in general, the show of strength on Jan 6 showed that PAS is a party that could be relied upon to fight for their rights and privileges in an increasingly polarised society. UMNO has become an irreverent footnote and best forgotten.
Despite the roadblocks and barricades, the party was able to surmount the barriers as if to prove that the heavenly forces were on their side because their cause is morally justified.
Even the state could do little other than to open investigation papers on some individuals – perhaps the ring leaders – who left their footprints on the sacred ground of the court.
But PAS must not view the successful outcome of its gathering as a battle between the judiciary and the political establishment.
The judiciary is independent, fiercely protective of its turf and is no friend or foe of any politicians, elected or otherwise.
When the judges sat down to deliver their ruling on Najib’s appeal, they only looked at the hard facts before them and not looked in fear over their shoulders at the seething crowd outside the building.
Threats, intimidation and strong-arm tactics are mostly used in the political arena and not in the court of law where the line of reasoning stays clear of personal emotions and sentiments. A court uses its head and not the heart to pronounce judgements.
The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of Najib and was in no way influenced by the political antics, stunts or gambits of PAS. In fact, PAS should be in the dock for breaking the law when it crossed the police line.
In the dignified Palace of Justice, only the rule of the law reigns supreme – now and forever. Don’t always mess with the judges, you disruptive politicians. Judges do not belong to any political tribe and a court is not a political party. – Jan 9, 2025
Post-script: The appellant court has ordered the Bossku case to be remitted to the High Court for hearing of a substantive judicial review application with the case management slated for Jan 13.
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
