LOOK, WHO'S HAVING THE LAST LAUGH!
IT seems Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is having the last laugh over the controversy surrounding the former Agong’s addendum.
No surprise, then, that when accused of “hiding” the addendum, Anwar responded with a nonchalant, “Oouuu...!”
While I cannot confirm whether Anwar knew the addendum's whereabouts right from the start, he at least did his homework. If he did, he would have waited till this moment to confound his adversaries.
Due Diligence Not Done
This is not a simple matter for ordinary citizens like us to unravel, but one would expect the Opposition—and someone like Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s son, Datuk Mohd Nizar Razak, who received the letter used by Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah — to investigate it thoroughly.
It also makes me wonder why Tan Sri Shafee did not show a copy of the addendum to the press. The addendum would have been addressed to the party concerned, in this case, to the Attorney-General.
The Minister of the Federal Territories, Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, who also serves on the Pardons Board, rightly stated that she has never seen the addendum. Similarly, neither Anwar nor Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had access to it.
Let us wait for the AG to speak up on Monday. If he admits that he received the letter, and it was sent to the present Agong, then we all know the reasons why he remained silent. I am sure all the Malay politicians who understand the sensitivities involving His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim the King of Malaysia, should know when to zip up their mouth.
After all, they should have already read in between the lines when the Palace issued a decree saying that anything to do with the royal pardon must be submitted to the Pardons Board, and follow the due process. In short, our present King would not be pressured by the ranks and files to discuss the pardon.
Najib should be grateful even if the Agong is willing to discuss his application a second time within a short span of time. Ask former prisoner, Sam Kian Sang who spent 27 years in prison, and despite appealing on a number of occasions, his application never went beyond the Pardons board.
Due to the severity of Najib's crime and the extent of publicity the 1MDB scandal has received around the world, the present Agong may not choose to pardon him. The job of the Pardons board is to advise the King on a number of angles that need to be looked into before a royal pardon is granted.
As I have pointed out before, nine judges at all court levels - from High to Appeals and the Federal Courts - have found Najib guilty of the crime.
Therefore, for those who want to push for Najib's full pardon, they have to better think of the Agong and the country's international reputation.
What is Said Till Now
According to Malaysiakini, the Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister’s Department, which also acts as the Pardons Board secretariat, denied having any files or official records of the addendum or related documents.
Given the loud accusations from the Opposition and defectors alleging Anwar was concealing the addendum, it is indeed perplexing that no one has done their due diligence.
For instance, Mohd Nizar, as the recipient of the letter from the Pahang Royal Palace, could have clarified with the palace who the letter was intended for. Did he, or didn’t he? Did he or Shafiie know who the Addendum was addressed to? If yes, it raises doubts that the secrecy might have been deliberate, aiming perhaps to sabotage the Madani government.
If it was a pure oversight, they should immediately apologise to the Malaysian public for creating such a brouhaha.
As of now, it’s clear that the accusations against Anwar have backfired spectacularly. No wonder Anwar is the one laughing last. Let me elaborate:
- Almost every day in the past two weeks, the social media was packed with calls for Anwar to step down over accusations of hiding the addendum. I am glad that he took this in good strides, and carried on with his role to boost Malaysia's economy.
- He was also accused of denying Najib an opportunity to be placed under house arrest.
- Former MACC Chief Latheefa Koya muddied the waters further by claiming, “If Najib is released on house arrest, corruption will be legitimized, and Malaysia will sink to the level of a banana republic.”
- Dr. Zaliha was also accused of hiding the addendum.
I wish to remind everyone that Malaysia is now in a new era, where the government is serious for the first time in its battle against corruption.
Regardless of all the squabbles that are taking centre stage, investors continue to show their confidence in the country.
Only that you and I are fed up with all the altercation that we see being played up by the Opposition in the public domain, especially on Social Media. Such efforts by the Opposition that are not seeking the welfare of the country only make us feel 'muak' (fed-up) and it will certainly not win them any votes.
A lot of times, these people are just rabble rousers trying to create a "perception" that the government is up to something "more wicked" than previous governments.
A good example is the issue of the house arrest and the addendum. It is not for me to comment on the latter, except to say that the trial has not gone to the Federal Court; hence, it has not exhausted the entire court process.
On this, lawyers and members of the public alike should refrain from making comments in the public domain. But this one thing I want to say about house arrests.
No one has seen the draft of the bill for house arrest. I am confident that even Latheefa Koya has no access to it, but doesn't she know that she is not supposed to comment on something that she knows little about?
Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, has, in fact, explained that the law is necessary to address overcrowding in our prisons.
Anyone thinking rationally would immediately assume the bill is intended for minor offenders—people like someone who stole a bunch of bananas from the wet market or a desperate mother taking a tin of milk from the grocery store to feed her baby.
Yet, some individuals have let their imagination run wild, suggesting that the bill was crafted specifically to place Najib under house arrest. This conspiracy has struck a nerve, provoking outrage against Anwar and Saifuddin Nasution. So, please, do not let yourselves be used by these politicians.
And, here’s my argument for your consideration: if Anwar or Saifuddin Nasution truly intended the house arrest bill for Najib, why would they also be accused of “hiding” the addendum? It simply doesn’t add up. Anyone applying critical thinking would be able to immediately dismiss such baseless claims and fake news.
Certainly, placing one person under house arrest would not address the broader issue the bill aims to resolve, would it? So why are people crying foul over something that hasn’t even happened yet?
It’s all about perception. It’s all about votes, my dear Watson.
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