There’s treachery afoot in Putrajaya.
Another suspect memo, another pathetic reason, another DNAA. Nothing is sacred or sacrosanct anymore. Deception and deceit to justify the unjustifiable. Never mind that the foundations of justice and democracy are being undermined. They who were once reformers care not; holding on to power at any cost is all that matters now. Well, is it said that power corrupts.
The recent DNAA given to former prime minister Najib Tun Razak in the RM6.6 billion IPIC case says it all. The case could not go forward because the government itself – hiding behind the OSA – held back important documents. It’s not incompetence; it’s conspiracy.
And then there’s that leaked internal AGC memo from 2019 making the claim that there’s insufficient evidence to support the charges against Najib. While the AGC remained conveniently tight-lipped, Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, along with Najib’s many supporters, used it to argue that the charges were politically motivated. Left unanswered – if the memo is indeed genuine – is why the AGC waited almost five years to finally withdraw the charges. Did it have anything to do with the prime minister’s growing dependence on UMNO to stay in power?
This is not the first time we are witnessing such chicanery. Last year, Zahid Hamidi – now the lynchpin of Anwar’s government – also obtained a DNAA from all 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering after the AGC abruptly discontinued the case against him.
Then too, there was a leaked internal memo insinuating that the charges were politically motivated. And of course, there was the usual “new evidence” that was discovered that needed to be “further investigated.” Everybody knows it’s all humbug, but they get away with it because there’s so little real accountability or integrity.
The prime minister himself was quick to throw the prestige of his office behind the asinine claim that Zahid was a victim of political prosecution, declaring that the charges against Zahid were “questionable”, not carried out professionally, politically motivated, citing that “leaked document” as justification. And so it was that a leaked document of dubious origin, which no one could confirm, became reason enough to dismiss the charges against a political ally.
It mattered not to the prime minister that the trial judge had already found that there was a prima facie case to answer, that the trial had been going on for 77 days and 114 witnesses had already been called to testify. In Madaniland, inconvenient facts are just brushed away.
The prime minister can deny there was any interference; the people are not so stupid to believe that hidden hands are not at work. We know what this is really about. We are not blind to the trickery and duplicity of ambitious men.
It’s hard not to conclude that the prime minister is playing games with us – pushing a law that allows for house arrest while refusing to clear the air on whether the pardons board has allowed Najib to serve the remainder of his six-year sentence under house arrest. He hides behind others. He twists and turns. He dodges and evades. He obfuscates and confuses. It’s all a charade.
Whatever it is, if Najib goes free, it will be a dark day for justice in Malaysia. And the prime minister himself will lose what’s left of his credibility. Once more we’ll be left disappointed by hope.
Simply put, they are up to no good. There’s treachery afoot in Putrajaya and it’s not about an insignificant rock. – Dennis Ignatius