FROM the raucous crowd that used to greet Najib Razak at the courthouse when he was first charged and in the early days of his RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd trial, the former prime minister’s faithful supporters have now dwindled down to two who show up each day of his trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in Jalan Duta.
Three months into the trial, two 60-year-old retirees, Christi Hon and Radiah Rashid, are still taking their posts at the trial, either in the courtroom or outside, to show support for Najib who is facing seven corruption charges related to SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Hon, who is a former national chess player, said he is a keen observer of the trial because he believes the charges against Najib are unfair and he wants to see if the trial can prove that they hold water.
Asked to explain his devotion to Najib, he said he and the former prime minister have been friends for many years.
Sitting in the courtroom daily, Hon said the trial has not shown any concrete evidence of Najib’s wrongdoing as alleged by Pakatan Harapan leaders.
“Since 2016, there have been allegations and lies being made (against Najib), so I decided to see for myself why it took one year and a half for them to prove anything.
He called the accusations made against Najib “lies” and accused the current government of leveraging on these lies to win power in the 14th general election.
Hon has been attending the trial consistently and can be seen talking to Najib during break times at court.
“He must be proven guilty. He does not need to prove his innocence. The accusers must provide proof of this,” he said.
Calling Najib a capable leader despite his shortcomings, Hon said Najib’s tenure as the previous prime minister was not as bad as it was made to seem.
“He’s a good man, with shortcomings – maybe some of his shortcomings are bigger but he has the heart and will to work. We all have shortcomings.”
Najib’s other faithful devotee, Radiah, has never missed a day of trial since it started on April 3. She travels from Sg Buloh to the court complex daily before Najib arrives and is there long after he’s gone for the day.
Unlike Hon, she doesn’t sit in the courtroom but waits at the lobby of the court complex, usually alone.
Radiah, who used to work as a clerk, said she spends the waiting time praying for Najib.
Asked to explain her support for the former prime minister who is facing more than 40 charges involving 1MDB, an Abu Dhabi state investment firm, and for tampering with audit reports, Radiah said she felt indebted to Najib for all he had done for the poor in Malaysia.
She said she has never had any personal experience or encounter with Najib, but felt that he was being hard done by the PH government’s attacks.
“I feel he is being persecuted and all he needs now are prayers and support,” she said, adding that she will show up every day for as long as her health permits and will keep praying for him. – August 11, 2019.
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Comments
Many people forget that he has helped the poor in
terms of BR1M and other things like Felda
These people are high on some kind of weed or ketum leaves.
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