THE world is watching us – please wake up, especially since the support for Najib Razak is not as great as you may think.

Believe this, money cannot buy everything, and cash is not always king. In a civil society, a person who is convicted has already lost all social status and the respect of the world.

As Malaysians, we must feel ashamed of what has happened in court and to our judiciary system. Only with the sense of shamefulness, an important part of human beings, can we move forward. 

I really feel sorry for politician, public figure and lawyer Zaid Ibrahim after reading this Facebook post by Manan Razali.

We all must be responsible for our future generations. Zaid’s firm was not able to resist temptation. The Covid-19 virus is scary, but the “malu apa bossku” virus is even worse and even more dangerous; it has spread quickly and infected people easily, now it is threatening the social system and the reputation of Malaysia. Society’s confidence and stability are at a critically dangerous level.

The world is watching us, Malaysia, as a sovereign country, and we must defend and protect our Federal Constitution using the virtues of our national principles.

1. Belief in God

Even with a big law firm he previously appointed, which was acknowledged by the Federal Court, somehow he had to end up defending himself without a legal firm.

This situation, this scenario, it is indeed God’s message.

Having a fear of God is the only way out, as well as asking for forgiveness instead of continuing to commit wrongdoings.

Nobody should be bigger than God. God is the only “big boss”. So we must stick to the first principle.

2. Loyalty to king and country 

Our king represents the Council of Rulers to keep an eye on the government to ensure good governance. Respect “Urusan Seri Paduka Baginda” to make sure no one is stealing the money of the people.

Now, the funds that belong to the military have also been stolen. Our military men risk their lives for us, they died to protect us. When enemies come, how are the armies going to fight without proper weapons to defend Malaysia?

The army, along with veterans, come close to 1 million in number, and even so, the government dared to steal their money. Speaking of veterans, many of them are currently living below the poverty line, and yet the government dares steal the funds of the army.

When our soldiers and navy encounter enemies, how are they going to fight without proper weapons? It looks like our true enemies are not from the outside, but from the inside. 

“Loyalty to king and country” must be upheld, with our king as chief commander for the armies and the executive power of the cabinet is just for five years. To keep borrowing money or wasting taxpayers’ money wouldn’t solve any problem, instead, all must be mindful of His Majesty’s duties towards the people.

3. Supremacy of constitution

The independence of the judiciary system must not be undermined. Respect the court, respect the judges, and nobody should be above the law, as per the Federal Constitution.

We must all stay united to defend our Federal Court and our judges to keep executive powers under control, to make sure criminals go to jail if any wrongdoing has been committed. MPs should be fired from parliament once a person is found to have committed any wrongdoing.

We must not allow convicted persons to run around freely, to perform all kinds of misbehaviour, and cause all kinds of embarrassment to the nation. 

4. Sovereignty of law

It is “polis diraja”, not “polis diparti”. Politicians must be guided and educated to differentiate between public offices and party offices, and must not use public resources for party interests.

Give power back to the police – they have brought us peace and harmony for 65 years.

Looking back, forming the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was a big mistake. The corruption of today is becoming more and more serious, and everyone would agree with me.

MACC today, with personalities like Cheah Chyuan Yong, a gangster, according to news, turned so-called International Strategy Institute (ISI) chairman (but in fact just a privately held company) appointed by MACC to hold anti-corruption forums.

On the other hand, Cheah turned out to be best friends with Najib, using ISI to organise all sorts of “support bossku” rallies and campaigns, the latest one on July 29 in Ipoh supported by MCA Youth.

Of course, Cheah also helped Najib organise the 11th World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF), which was founded by me on December 27, exactly 19 days after the December 8 verdict that sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail.

This is completely unimaginable, as I am the founder of WCEF. By respecting the sovereignty of law, I would never allow such things to happen, and I have written a series of articles to distance myself from these embarrassments. 

After that, we saw a series of “malu apa bossku” campaigns with embarrassing actions, and all kinds of unthinkable, unreasonable and humiliating events, including humiliating the prime minister, leading up to August 15, a four-year, long-delayed wayang-kulit trial. 

And look how ugly it has become, to the extent of threatening the chief judge and threatening to cause bloodshed. Police must enforce the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 to start arresting these people.

The nation should consider shuttering the MACC by using the independent legislative power: parliament. Go to parliament and not the streets to protest. Trust and give back the power to the police.

Under the sovereignty of law, there are enough acts to put someone under immediate house arrest. Nobody is above the law, as seen with the United States’ Department of Justice and with Singapore in the way both countries prosecuted the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case. Their ways must be studied and followed.

Just a gentle reminder, fellow Malaysian Roger Ng was extradited by the US government and put in jail over the 1MDB fiasco. It is better to serve the jail term in Malaysia, you still can get nasi lemak and at the same time protect the sovereignty of our country.

5. Decency and morality

Having no shame will destroy the values of our society. In fact, “shamefulness” is part of the DNA of humankind for progress and for social orders beyond laws and regulations. That’s why it is the main core value of many religions, including Islam.

Without a sense of shame, mobs and gangsters will take leading positions and destroy the country. In the history of Malaysia, this is the first time ever that a chief justice has received death threats. Where is the decency and where is the morality?

Threatening to kill the chief justice is a very serious offence and those who perpetuated the action must be arrested. We cannot allow the independence and integrity of our judiciary system to be attacked. All these are due to the “malu apa bossku” virus.

In Islam, I was taught by fellow friends, there is only one boss, the almighty boss, and if anyone says “malu apa bossku”, we should just reply with “Allahuakbar (God is greatest)”.

How can somebody go against the teachings of Islam and still think he is right to do so? It is for the Muslim community to judge and decide if a leader is a true Muslim or a munafiq. For non-Muslims, we just follow Article 3 of the Federal Constitution.

And I also enclose here a recording of our former prime minister on the teachings of Islam and the difference between a true Muslim and a munafiq, which I fully agree with.

Dear Malaysians, l have observed recent incidents and have written to the Election Commission, the king, the Council of Rulers and to my MCA president. Dear Malaysians, please wake up to protect the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law; and use our national principles as our remedy to return to the right path, just like Indonesia uses its “pancasila”. – August 22, 2022.

* Lee Kim Yew is an MCA member.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.