DISGRACED ex-premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak deserves to serve his jail sentence as provided by the law for the political, economic and psychological scars that he had inflicted on Malaysia during his nine-year tenure helming the country.
Commenting on the petition seeking a royal pardon filed by Najib for his conviction in the SRC International case yesterday (Sept 5), veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin said nobody should be allowed “to play with fire and make a mockery of the law and power”.
“The incarceration of Najib, the prison sentence meted out on (his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and (Tan Sri) Mohd Isa Abdul Samad as well as the trial of other high profile corruption cases are not reasons for us to rejoice,” he insisted.
“Instead we are saddened by the fact that we have to endure massive misfortune in the in the form of bad leaders. This is the repercussion from choosing the wrong leader. Let no one conspire to release them.”
While the criminals may or in the midst of paying the debt of their heinous acts behind iron bars, ordinary Malaysians are the ones who have to bear the burden of their misdeeds, according to Kadir.
“We are even responsible for their food, clothing and medical treatment in prison,” lamented the former Bersatu supreme council member.
“The political, economic and psychological catastrophe that they leave behind will haunt and burden us for a long time. In the process of seeking justice and cleansing our country of this filth of corruption, our stability and political integrity are tested.”
Kadir further reminisced that Malaysians should be proud of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) determination to deliver its promise of bringing high profile corruption cases to justice despite only having managed to administer for 22 months prior to being ousted in a coup outside the Parliament in February 2020.
“Thank God, both the Governments under the leadership (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin Yasin and (Datuk Seri) Ismail Sabri Yaakob did not interfere in their trial despite pressure towards that direction,” he opined.
“In a way, this proves that our political behaviour after the defeat of UMNO/BN (Barisan Nasional) in the 2018 General Election has changed for the better.”
Nevertheless, from an economic standpoint, Kadir said the institutional damage, debt burden and costs of the mega projects that they left behind would take a long time and huge expense to resolve.
“The 1MDB (1Malaysia debt of RM50.75 bil will only be repaid in 2039, 24 years from now,” he insisted.
“There are many other debts made by Najib whether related to his corruption cases or not that we have to bear.”
Among others, this includes KWAP’s [Retirement Fund (Inc)] debt of RM9.2 bil, Pembinaan PFI Sdn Bhd (RM25 bil) and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) that included land acquisition cost as well as loan interest of more than RM66 bil.
“No matter which ruling party the PM is from, this debt must be paid because it is taken in the name of the government,” stressed Kadir.
From a psychological sense, the corrupt acts of these leaders and their family members have, in particular, caused the Malay community to lose confidence in UMNO while the public in general began to give up on politics.
“Many people no longer believe in politicians and the election process. This development is extremely dangerous as it could lead to the formation of a minority government elected by only a small number of voters,” cautioned Kadir.
“Our hope is that UNDI 18 will refresh the political environment by producing a line of new leaders with integrity”. – Sept 6, 2022
Main pic credit: MalaysiaNow
