Why a ‘political reset’ for corrupt politicians would set a dangerous precedent for Malaysia

I think most people in Malaysia can agree that it’s been a painful year, both domestically and internationally.

Think of the many innocent lives still being destroyed in Gaza by the wretched Israeli regime.

Consider the obnoxious, desperate and greedy new assaults by Donald Trump’s America, on the sovereignty and rights of, among others, the Venezuelan people.

These are but two stark examples of such hardship, cruelty and suffering at the international level. And the rest of the world evidently finds itself paralysed and helpless, not seriously able to lift a finger to stop the genocide and the assaults on sovereignty and freedom by these modern-day fascists.

Here at home, we have had deaths in police custody, official assaults on minority communities, and the discovery and belated rescue of hundreds of abused children from monstrous pseudo-religious adults who, in turn, have been released from custody after being given pretty light sentences.

At the same time, we have had narrow moral police in action, clearly more concerned about what ordinary people wear than these wider, more serious, crimes taking place right before our eyes.

Remember the accident victim who was prevented from making a police report simply because she did not have the ‘proper’ clothes on? This surely must take the cake for illustrating how sheer stupidity appears to have taken over the lives of some of our overzealous mini-tyrants in positions of authority.

But this is not meant to be a depressing round-up of the downside of 2025.

This is actually a simple commentary on former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s appeal to be released from Kajang Prison and being put under house arrest.

Following High Court judge, Alice Loke’s recent calm, collected and, evidently, correct decision to dismiss Najib’s bid to be ‘home for Christmas’, many have reacted. Some jubilantly. Some sadly. Some angrily. Which, I guess, is par for the course, given that Najib’s is such a big case which deals with public funds he stole.  

Indeed, he had been sentenced three years ago and sent to prison after appeals had been made right up to the Federal Court. Fourteen judges heard his case at the High Court, Court of Appeal and Federal Court plus a review of the apex court’s decision. In all, 13 judges ruled against him with only one dissenting judgment.

Let’s not forget that his original 12-year sentence was reduced by the Pardons Board to six years, and the RM210m fine imposed on him was also inexplicably reduced to RM50m. This reduction came about in February 2024, less than two years after he was convicted in August 2022.

So, events have moved very fast in the bid to get Najib away from serving a full prison sentence and to place him under house arrest instead.

Amid all the noise that created by his political friends, his legal team and his supporters, the simple fact is that the Malaysian Constitution has no provision for any ‘house arrest’. This has left many asking why more taxpayer’s money was being wasted on this criminal.

But now, there appears to be some movement, shrouded in a false cloud of ‘forgiveness’, of ‘political reset’ or, as more accurately put by Kua Kia Soong, “the great political rinse cycle“.

It all started off with Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin posting on her personal Facebook page (not her party’s) a celebratory remark following the High Court decision: “Another reason to celebrate this year end.”

Within hours (or was it minutes?), Najib’s horde of supporters condemned her in no uncertain terms.

Sheesh, all she expressed were her personal feelings about a convicted felon. And for that, she’s been virtually roasted, especially on Umno’s barbecue pit.

For me, the best follow-up to all the condemnation, threats and general noise, was that by the satirical FB account, Harakatdaily HD, which ‘reported’:

Yeo Bee Yin minta maaf termenganjing isu Najib kekal di penjara.

“Sebagai tanda maaf, saya akan bina IOI Mall dalam Penjara Kajang,” ujarnya kesal.

(Yeo Bee Yin apologises for celebrating Najib remaining in prison.

“As a sign of my regret, I shall build IOI Mall in Kajang Prison,” she said.)

But this being oversensitive Malaysia with all its twists and turns, even some opposed to Najib felt that Yeo had been ‘tone deaf’.

Be that as it may, moving from ‘tone deaf’ to ‘let’s consider giving Najib a full pardon’ would, for many, require a majestic leap in our imagination. An astronomical one.

But this is now being suggested: a ‘political reset’, a ‘grand amnesty’ to be granted to all these political elites caught with their hands in the people’s cookie jar – all evidently in the name of national reconciliation and, invariably, national unity.

Utter balderdash! Total BS! The great political rinse cycle, as Kua puts it.

This maybe-clever-but-unprincipled assertion – that elites who do wrong be ‘forgiven’ and be set free to provide public service to the nation – certainly for me, is beyond the pale.

Haven’t we been taught all our lives that if “you do the crime, you do the time”? You break the laws of the land and, if convicted, you pay for it.

More arrogantly, it appears that this ‘proposal’ is just for the political elites, based on the (mis)conception, I am sure, that they are society’s leaders who can bring the country forward.

Again, utter balderdash! Total BS!

Some of the biggest crooks, liars, and most-disgusting rabble-rousers here in Malaysia as elsewhere have been self-serving politicians. And new ones keep crawling out of the woodwork all the time.

It may be the season of goodwill and forgiveness. But let us not go overboard. Let’s not provide sympathy for the devil.

With that, I wish all our Christian readers a joyous Christmas and to all of you, a very happy New Year!

Rom Nain
Co-editor, Aliran newsletter
24 December 2025

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