BY the time Najib Razak is charged in court, Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s government believes it would have removed much of the sympathy Malaysians might have had for their former prime minister.

Charging someone who occupied the top position in the country was always going to be tricky for the new government.
Malaysia has never been down this road before.

Yes, a deputy prime minister was ‎charged and convicted for abuse of power and sodomy. Yes, a former powerful menteri besar of a state was charged and convicted for corruption.

But no former prime minister or president of Umno has faced prison time. The idea of past prime ministers or presidents being arrested and led like a common criminal may be common in South Korea but not here.

Fact is Malaysians want action to be taken against those responsible for the theft and diversion of funds from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) 1MDB, no matter their stature.

But the Dr Mahathir administration also understands that a convincing case against Najib in the court of public opinion is needed before official charges were levelled against him.

That is why parading the super expensive bags and talking about the obscene amount of cash seized from properties linked to Najib has been as important as connecting the dots in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) case against him.

The plan was to remove any lingering feeling of pity towards the former prime minister and his family, and replace it with anger and disgust.

The new government is confident that by putting the Razaks in the same category as the Marcoses, it has done enough to deny him the chance of playing the victim.

With that concern out of the way, it is just a matter of time before he faces charges under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. – May 27, 2018.