Letter to editor
LAST year, Prisons Department commissioner-general Datuk Nordin Muhamad said Datuk Seri Najib Razak will not receive any special treatment in jail and will be treated like any other prisoner.
This was repeated by Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah who said allegations that Najib was afforded special privileges were baseless and unfounded which he described as “total nonsense.”
However, during the recent UMNO general assembly, it was widely reported that party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi spent nearly two hours with Najib along with several members of the UMNO supreme council.
I may not be a policeman or part of any legal or enforcement agency but I am sure no normal prisoner would ever be accorded such a privilege.
In fact, it is often so disheartening to read about a single mother or father who has to spend time behind bars simply for stealing a loaf of bread or tin of Milo to feed his or her hungry children.
Where is justice in this country? A poor, downtrodden citizen is treated like a criminal who robbed the nation of millions while a high-flying politician found guilty of corruption is given VIP treatment behind bars.
“I even bought him (Najib) his favourite food,” Zahid was quoted as saying in several reports. It won’t be surprising if Najib is served his favourite Macchiato and doughnuts every day for breakfast while others get stale bread and water.
From what I know, a prisoner is only allowed a visit up to a maximum of 45 minutes and that too, is under tight supervision by wardens and prison officers.
Zahid has put his foot in his mouth and there is no wriggling their way out of this – the relevant authorities must answer for this injustice and illegal/unfair practice.
If this had happened when the DAP and PKR were on opposite sides of the fence, their leaders would have raised all hell but this time around, it seems like the cat got their tongues.
What a total sham and disgrace to the nation’s democratic system! I once held leaders like Rafizi Ramli, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Anthony Loke Siew Fook in high regard but sadly they are all now playing to the tunes of UMNO and our hopes and dreams are getting darker and darker each day.
With dark clouds looming over our beautiful country, we the voters need to wake up from our deep slumber and make things right again for our sake and that of our children. – June 16, 2023
Zubaidah Mohd Harun
Jalan Kelang Lama
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
