THE country risks becoming a laughingstock to the rest of the world if former Prime Minister Najib Razak is granted a royal pardon.

People say, “anything is possible,” but it is only possible when the leaders in the country, instead of upholding the rule of law, decide to continue with the tarnished reputation as a kleptocratic nation, which foreign investors have shunned.

Are we prepared to put our nation at stake just because of one man? This is the question that I would like to pose to the unity government.

Najib’s corruption case involving RM40 million in the SRC International court case is not isolated, it is a small part of the greater 1MDB scandal.

The SRC International trial has gone through the entire legal process involving nine senior learned judges at every level of our judiciary system. Najib was found guilty and his appeals were rejected by both the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.

And in the process, the former Attorney-General who was behind the charges, Tommy Thomas has come under the heavy handedness of the powers that be. High Court judge, Mohd Nazlan Ghazali who sentenced Najib to 12 years’ jail has also attracted a lot of unnecessary and unfair criticism.

Notwithstanding the strong evidence provided by the US Department of Justice, and the witnesses who revealed under oath what transpired in the 1MDB scandal. So far, no one else has been charged in court or made responsible for the scandal incurring a hefty debt of RM50 billion, except Najib.

We must not forget that in the review of the SRC International case involving three judges, the outcome was a straight 2-to-1 decision.

Of a total of 12 learned judges, there was only one dissenting view. This is something that no Malaysian can deny, despite what Najib’s loyalists claim that it was a case of political persecution during former Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s era.

The same prime minister was the one who put Anwar Ibrahim in prison. Subsequently, it was during Najib’s era that Anwar was again put in prison for another five years. Anwar was not pardoned until he nearly completed his second five-year term.

A number of previous cases involving the death of Altantuya Shariibuu, Nasjadi Pascal and the sacking of former Attorney-General, Ghani Patail remain unresolved. All these cases raised a lot of questions within civil society about the credibility of one man. Although at this stage, unless these cases have been given a fair trial, I would reserve further comment.

Most of us know that, because of the 1MDB scandal, the total debt of over RM50 billion would take at least 20 years to pay up. This also means that the money, which could have been used to improve the country’s medical and education system, would instead have to be used to settle the loans.

If Najib is not allowed to go through the prison term, many of us would be asking if there is any ounce of justice left in the country, where petty theft can incur imprisonment for a year or two. Whereas politicians like Najib can get away with a 12-year jail term serving only a few months.

Many politicians, especially in Asian countries where there is a culture of shame, have died in jail while serving their full term. In Japan, they have the culture of hara kiri. Where would we put our faces if we give in to pressure from certain quarters?

While politicians need to check their own conscience, I urge the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to weigh this request carefully, because Najib’s case was and is still a very serious one involving billions of Ringgit. While we have started to redeem our dignity as a nation, we cannot afford to lose it again for the sake of one villain. – April 10, 2023.

David Ng reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.