The recent commutation of former prime minister and convicted felon Najib Razak’s prison sentence on the last day of Sultan Abdullah’s reign as the Malaysian king, has exposed the nation’s two-tier system of justice. This has led to widespread criticism by traditional Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters. The fact that the minister of the federal territories Zaliha Mustafa, a member of prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) sat on the Pardons Board and said the decision was a consensus has led to even more outcry.

The whole affair blatantly highlights the two-tier system of law and justice in Malaysia. There is one set of rules for the ruling elite, and another set of rules for the rest. The Pardons Board in its current secret composition reflects the feudalistic nature of Malaysian society today.

Any criticism of the above is technically sedition (as the government controls the definition), where the minister for communications Fahmi Fadzil has already warned Malaysians the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will take action against anyone who discusses the commutation of Najib’s sentence.

However, this has not prevented peoples’ criticism online. There is also deep suspicion that prime minister Anwar Ibrahim had some direct involvement, even though he said any pardon or commutation of prisoner sentences are at the king’s sole discretion. Some are saying the commutation of Najib’s sentence and lowering his RM210 million fine to just RM 50 million has broken through a tipping point, where the bulk of political commentary is no longer favourable to the Madani government.

The economic outlook for 2024 could........

© Eurasia Review