Guest Op Ed: Anwar Government All-Out War Against ‘Publicly Named’ Enemies
Joe Fernandez
This is an Op Ed from a longtime friend and Borneo watcher Joe Fernandez.
The political crackdown, win or lose, would probably begin immediately after the elections in six states on 12 August!
There’s widespread speculation, fuelled by the whispers along the political grapevine, that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will declare all-out war on publicly named enemies.
The total purge, if not virtually bloodbath, would probably begin immediately after the elections in six states on 12 August, win or lose.
It’s highly unlikely that the prime minister will wait for the dust to settle down.
It cannot be about seeing which way the wind blows in Malaya. The lawmakers in the former British Borneo dare not wag their tail with the Anwar government, lest it be cut off, shuffed in the mouth, doused with kerosene, and set on fire.
Sabah Water Dept
Already, Anwar has demanded that funds plundered from the Sabah Water Dept be returned.
These funds, according to the ongoing case in the Special Corruption in Kota Kinabalu, involved everyone from top to bottom based on set percentages.
Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan was mentioned during the case. He was allegedly one of the recipients from the contractor/s. The truth may be stranger than fiction.
There’s also talk that Anwar wants Sabah Foundation’s RM380m, now with Tan Sri Musa Aman, frozen, seized and forfeited.
Sabah Foundation will regain the money, allegedly derived from bribery and corruption for timber contracts from its land, through the High Court.
Looking After Friends
Political expedience demands that the unity government look after friends before going after enemies hammer and tongs.
For starters, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will most probably be placed under house arrest pending Immediate Pardon for alleged miscarriage of justice.
Najib may be appointed Chief Economic Adviser to the government and prime minister. It was an idea mothballed by the 2021/2022 Ismail Sabri Administration.
Najib in fact finished GE14 on 9 May 2018 with the most number of seats (79) in Parliament. No one had simple majority.
As the incumbent, he should have been invited by Agong to form the federal government. Sabah and Sarawak with 57 seats would have supported him for more than the 112-seat simple majority in Parliament. It did not happen.
BN (Barisan Nasional) did not meet and endorse Najib. Umno did not meet and endorse him. Najib did not meet Agong and offer to resign.
All the protocols in place were not observed.
The media, an unthinking animal which can be easily manipulated, did not raise the public alarm.
They may have taken the cue from dictatorial former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who allegedly instigated the Trial by Media against Najib since GE13 in 2013.
Instead, the 92-year-old Mahathir with 12 seats under his mosquito Bersatu party was sworn in as prime minister on 10 May 2018. He did not give way, despite Agong’s advice, for PKR President Datuk Seri Wan Azizah who had 48 seats in Parliament.
Wan Azizah was appointed deputy prime minister. It was DAP who had allegedly instigated Mahathir against Wan Azizah.
Mud On The Face
The UN Review on Najib allegedly being under arbitrary detention remains work in progress.
Najib’s lawyers are keeping their fingers crossed on the Review to be announced soon.
The Anwar government risks mud on the face if there’s no movement on Najib’s plight in jail. He was jailed unrepresented on 23 August last year.
Najib in jail has increasingly become inexpedient and impossible as it throws out all the political strategies.
Federal Court Review Panel head, Judge Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli, ruled DNA (discharge and acquittal) on 31 March for Najib. He read the only ruling on the RM42m SRC International case.
Four members of the Federal Court Review Panel found the court had no jurisdiction since Review was argued as appeal for 2nd bite at the cherry, according to the majority opinion read by Judge Vernon Ong.
The Panel should not have allowed oral submission which went on for days.
It should have asked defence only for oral submission on two or three points and thereafter ruled on the judicial review.
House Arrest
Najib may be confined at a resort cum golf course as was done in 1994 when Sabah strongman Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan was taken out from detention under the draconian ISA (Internal Security Act). The ISA, repealed by Najib after 2009, allows for detention without trial.
Jeffrey was placed under house arrest for two months. He then flew home for the snap Sabah election called by Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan.
Pairin won the election but was ousted within weeks by Mahathir.
Cases Can Be Dropped
Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Idrus Harun, under Article 145, can drop the remaining cases, criminal and civil, against Najib and other BN leaders.
Discretion does not exist if abuse of power can be proven.
It has long been alleged that these cases, brought by three previous prime ministers, were politically-motivated and based on selective prosecution and political persecution for conviction by hook or by crook and Trial by Media masterminded by Mahathir from before GE14.
The cases were about getting the political enemies out of the way, permanently if possible, otherwise temporarily, in buying time while taking away the supporters. Najib has 4.5m followers on Facebook alone.
Political Enemies
There are no prizes for guessing Anwar’s political enemies as they have been publicly named since GE15 last November.
These political enemies will face criminal suits if they challenge the civil action on freezing their money laundering assets and “secret profits” for seizure and forfeiture as state revenue.
Mahathir tops the list, followed by former Finance Minister II Tun Daim Zainuddin and Umno moneybag Tan Sri Halim Saad.
Muhyiddin Yassin
Former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin leads the list of people charged in court for allegedly plundering the public treasury.
Already, his son in law Adlan Berhan and an accomplice have fled the country. Both are suspects and face money laundering charges.
The AG, under Article 145, could have brought civil action against Muhyiddin and others. Civil cases take less than 30 minutes in court.
Instead of challenging civil action, errant parties can offer out-of-court settlement without prejudice.
JOE FERNANDEZ
Longtime Borneo watcher Joe Fernandez has been writing for many years on both sides of the South China Sea. He should not be mistaken for a namesake formerly with the Daily Express in Kota Kinabalu. JF keeps a Blog under FernzTheGreat on the nature of human relationships.
The views expressed in this article are that of the writer.
Originally published in New Media Hit 11th August 2023.
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There may be issues in the article to look at, some rather ancient, some a political lightweight and failed political operator like Anwar shouldn't be trusted to look into. Besides, Anwar has been banging on his bongo for an eternity about Mahathir's sins and crimes but he's never gone beyond blabbering as if he's ever got piles of dossiers with which nothing has ever been done with.
Maybe there's no dossier at all, Anwar as usual bluffing and bullsh*t ting. Anwar should as his last political wayang finally and once and for all take on Mahathir, and wipe out his sneer.
With the kind of pig-manure politicians we are blessed with who would do nothing and can't do anything, I expect Mahathir will kick the bucket laughing all the way to Hell, he's the Untouchable.
I've previously "crossed swords" with "the Great", I find him to be just another nutcase, people with unusual and excessive self-absorption and deep interest in "spirituality" invariably are. There's a correlation between that and mental illness. Entities that act like they know everything usually know nothing. But Malaysians are happy sucker when poseurs appear and can sell snake oil. Which explains why there are so many snake oil quack "medicinal" shops and salesmen all over Malaysia.
Which also explains why Malaysia has more than plenty of mouthy corrupt politicians, that's because Malaysia is perfect fertile ground for breeding the best politicians money can buy.
So, no, I ain't expecting anything further to happen with the issues raised in the article. Malaysians are pretty good at pointing out some of the many issues that bring the country down. But are totally useless at getting anything anywhere. It's all just yet more talk. The ding dong merrily of issues raised and nothing happening has gone on for decades, just read any article as the inconsequential all-talk and nothing happens we are all used to.
I've followed "the Great" a good while now. Denizens of Borneo pay no attention to him. It's as if "the Great" is just another brilliant general - with no army! Anyone sane would have found "the Great" more useful putting him to sleep as an act of mercy. Sorry, not impressed, thank you!
Now get back to sleep in case you're hit with another round of verbal brilliance all round.
Under Najib's rule, the judiciary, courts and solicitors were having a great time playing pucks with justice and taking clients for a long ride. Najib must never be allowed back into the government. He will bring with him his brand of justice which is no justice at all.