Royal Pardon is not an Option for Najib
By Stephen Ng
Although disgraced Prime Minister,
Najib Abdul Razak has 14 days to file in for Royal Pardon, this is not an
option that would be accepted by the people.
It
would certainly not look good for Umno as a political party either, as people
link Najib to Umno. Public opinion is that, whether Umno leaders or otherwise,
no one is above the law.
No
one, with a sound mind, would agree that the former Umno veteran be given a special
treatment by the Agong.
Even
when Najib appeared in the palace for a meal together with the Agong, public
outcry was loud and clear. Here was a convict who was allowed to move freely in
the royal palace, bringing disgrace to the good name of the monarchy.
The Odds against Najib
Therefore,
it is unlikely that the Agong will grant him a pardon especially with a case
that involves 12 years of imprisonment and a fine of RM210 million. This is
also a case that has attracted international attention over 10 years.
The
case has gone all the way to the apex court, and all nine judges – one at High
Court, three at Appeal Court and five at Federal Court – have found Najib
guilty as charged. Credit should go to the ad hoc prosecutors Sri Ram
Gopal and V. Sithambaram who did a fine job in presenting the evidences
in court. Both are lawyers who deserve our respect; one is a Datuk Seri, the
other only a Datuk.
The
evidences against Najib in the SRC International case is insurmountable. Except
for attempts to recuse the Federal Judge, Tun Maimun Tuan Mat and to discredit
the then High Court judge, Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who found Najib guilty,
Najib’s lawyer had failed to give fresh evidence that could turn the case
around.
Zaid
Ibrahim and Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, despite knowing that they were fighting a
losing battle, had miscalculated their move by claiming that they needed
another few months to study the case.
Therefore, the
five federal judges who decided unanimously to reject Najib’s appeal have made
the right decision, instead of wasting more of the court’s time. The felon has
to be sent to the gaol!
Public
opinion is that Najib had committed these crimes as alleged, and if not for
Nazlan’s decision to allow the jail terms to run concurrently, Najib would have
to spend the rest of his natural life in jail. In total, it would be 72 years! Twelve
years is, therefore, a fair sentence for the former Pekan MP.
To
seek for royal pardon without spending at least three-quarter of the term in
jail, Najib would bring great dishonour even to the palace. In the case of
Anwar Ibrahim, it was a crime against certain individuals, but Najib’s crime
has left the nation in great debts to be settled in the billions of Ringgit.
As members of
the civil society, we had endured all the nonsense of this felon and his wife, Rosmah
Mansor for more than one decade. And public opinion is that the time has come
for them to ‘chill it’ behind bars. Those who want to continue his legacy would
probably have to end up in the same prison.
Rosmah, for
example, if she has to spend even a year in jail should not demand prison
wardens to change the curtains for her prison cell. Or, complain about the food
served to her.
Although
Najib had on August 8, 2022 withdrawn
his allegations of bribery against Justice Nazlan, until today, his lawyer Zaid
is still repeating the
same allegation that the then High Court Judge who convicted and sentenced Najib
to 12 years’ jail and RM210mil fine for misappropriating RM42mil of SRC
International Bhd funds has ‘conflict of interest.’
Allegations
of ‘conflict of interest’ is subjective, but the facts presented in court are
objective and they speak volume about the crime committed.
A few more court cases are up against Najib.
So, even if he is released on royal pardon, he may not escape the other cases.
Good Behaviours or Ill Health not a strong reason
For
someone who has irked the whole nation throughout the past decade, Najib cannot
anyhow appeal to the Agong on account of good behaviours.
Many years ago,
when I was writing a story about Kajang prison, the warden told me that even
the worst of criminals who are in prison will behave well before the wardens.
So, it is not good behaviours that people will buy, but it is ultimately what
he had done against the nation that needs to be taken into consideration when a
royal pardon is granted.
There
are many more prisoners who were committed to life imprisonment who deserve to
be pardoned, and these are the cases that should receive the royal pardon, with
the hope that when they return to society, they are able to contribute to
society in a positive manner instead of playing on racial and religious
sentiments.
It
would not surprise us if tomorrow, Najib complains of illnesses or poor health.
At his age, anything can happen, yet such is not a good excuse for clemency. Many
aged politicians overseas have been serving their prison term without the
benefits of a royal pardon. A crime is a crime, especially one that has made
such a great impact on the nation’s wellbeing. Najib should not think he is anyone
special.
The
only difference is that, in prison, he will be given medical treatment
befitting a citizen of the country. He cannot expect that a royal pardon would
be granted just by falling ill, and before we know it, a series of drama would
unfold outside the prison walls.
We
should not forget that the whole world is paying attention on Najib’s case, and
although many of us know he was the one identified as the Official No 1, justice
was only finally upheld by five federal judges.
We have taken
note that, unlike Anwar’s case, no leaders around the world have spoken up
against the judgement made by the apex court.
As
the Malay proverbial saying goes, ‘Pandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh
juga.’ The squirrel that hops happily from one branch to another thinking that
it was smart eventually fall to the ground before five – three women and two
men – incorruptible judges.
I
wish to end with a saying from the social media, `Cash is king, but Law is
Queen.’
END.
Here is another good explanation:
Also read:
https://come-to-senses.blogspot.com/2022/08/najib-should-know-what-appeal-to.html
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