Commentary by Mustafa K Anuar

SOCIAL media users, particularly those who are concerned with justice, went into overdrive ever since former prime minister Najib Razak appeared on the first day of his appeal before the Federal Court.

They were tripping over each other, trying to place a closure on Najib’s long-drawn SRC International court case by posting a few videos, cartoons and brief comments, suggesting that the end is nigh for the convicted felon.

The Pekan MP was found guilty of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in July 2020 that subsequently sentenced Najib 12 years in prison and fined him RM210 million.

Najib’s conviction was then upheld on December 8, 2021 by the Court of Appeal, which called the 1MDB scandal a “national embarrassment”.

If some of these social media users appeared impatient to see the end of this high-profile case, it is because they bore witness to Najib posting bail and, later, having a big window of opportunity to do a great many things.

Najib was seen strutting the length and breadth of the country, attending formal functions, having meals in palaces, visiting temples, leading BN electoral campaigns in state elections, and also flying to Singapore to see his daughter giving birth and reportedly playing golf with a buddy there.

He also basked in the purported glory of being called “Bossku” among his supporters who assured him that the “Bossku” was nothing to be shameful about. It is the kind of adulation that could not be gained by any ordinary convicted person especially if he or she does not have the wherewithal. 

In contrast, a news item that was posted recently on social media showed us a jobless man who was swiftly jailed for two years after being found guilty of wearing stolen panties. To be sure, he did not squander public funds. 

These impatient social media users were also aware that the delayed court case was also due to individuals in Najib’s first defence team who, in the midst of handling the case, were unfortunate enough to have contracted the Covid-19 virus, fell ill, and also were bitten by a dog.

A video clip that made its rounds might well answer the question raised above. It showed Najib and family members alighting an MRT carriage, with a voice over saying that the train had stopped at Sungai Buloh station because it is the final destination of the Kajang-Sungai Buloh train route.

For the uninitiated, there is a prison in Sungai Buloh (or bamboo river) for convicted criminals, apart from it being the second largest leprosy colony in the world at one point in time.

In his political caricature, well-known cartoonist Zunar seemed enthusiastic about the prospect of Najib being sent to the slammer as he had already drawn Najib being measured by a Sungai Buloh tailor for his prison uniform. 

It may seem premature to some people that these postings had hurriedly jumped to such a conclusion, especially when Najib’s appeal has yet to be heard to its logical conclusion.

That said, the impatience expressed by ordinary Malaysians is understandable, especially when you take into account the sudden turn of events in recent days that seemed to have the potential of slowing down the wheels of justice.

After being denied attempts to adduce so-called fresh evidence and also applying for a postponement of three or four months, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told the court that he wished to discharge himself from serving as the lead defence counsel because he felt he was not given enough time by the court to prepare for the case.

Teh’s withdrawal swiftly earned him on social media the moniker of “Teh Tarik”, a name referring to a local tea preparation that involves tea being thrown into the air from a mug only to be pulled into another mug.

Subsequently, Najib dumped his newly appointed defence team, making himself out to be a helpless and hapless victim left in the cold. Oh, such a sorry state. 

Concerned Malaysians would expect that such incidents, the less charitable critics called it theatrics, would not further prolong the case as justice delayed is justice denied. 

The court’s decision on August 26 is very much awaited, as Malaysians are indeed eager to know whether the symbolic train would finally make its final stop at Sungai Buloh station. – August 22, 2022.