WHEN South African President Nelson Mandela was released on Feb 11, 1990 after spending 27 years behind bars, the first black South African to win the elections picked his nemesis and former president Frederik Willem de Klerk as his deputy.
His predecessor P.W. Botha was an iron fist in the apartheid regime which Mandela and his African National Congress had managed to defeat in the 1994 elections.
Mandela’s decision initially took the world by surprise as he exhibited the true spirit of reconciliation but his decision nearly 30 years ago has nevertheless brought healing to a nation that was torn apart by apartheid.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has demonstrated his willingness to forgive when he said he bears no grudge nor seeks to retaliate against those who wronged him in the past.
It was good of him to give credit to his mentor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the success of Proton during a recent event to commemorate the first national car project’s 40-year journey.
However, this must have been said in Anwar’s personal capacity for it is unlikely that past crimes can be let off just like that.
There is rule of law in the country and justice must take its course. This is the work of our court system and other institutions to ensure that big time criminals cannot get away easily while single mothers stealing a tin of Milo gets a year’s jail sentence.
Setting aside the maxim of ‘an eye for an eye’, the universal principle of ‘you reap what you sow’ still applies which means retribution will still have to take its full course, especially when it involves public funds worth millions – not to mention – billions of ringgit.
This is not something that even the prime minister can interfere in for a nation that upholds the rule of law. Yet, the country must come together in reconciliation. How?
Reconciliation and restoration can only happen with the ordinary rakyat. For this reason, there is a need to seek each other’s forgiveness for the past.
Although that generation in 1969 has passed on, the healing process needs to take place. For those who had plundered the nation, they either have to make retribution voluntarily and seek forgiveness from the people or they will have to face the long arm of the law.
Moving forward, we should no longer allow our emotions to be played up by politicians who want to divide and rule. We have to openly express our disgust the moment politicians play the racial or religious cards. Votes are in our hands. They need us more than we need them.
For now at least, the current unity government spearheaded by Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) seems to be a pragmatic solution. There is no utopia on earth; there can be no perfect government in Malaysia or anywhere else in the world for that matter.
Since Anwar is favoured by the present Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Conference of Malay Rulers to form the unity government, no matter how the Opposition chant the `collapse’ mantra, even the next Agong will not support a change of government.
The unity government is strong to implement the reforms. We will monitor Anwar and the Cabinet closely yet giving them sufficient time and space to bring about the necessary reforms. – May 14, 2023
