
by K Veeriah
Shocking as it may seem, certain individuals allegedly appropriated stratospherical sums of money in a premeditated scheme to enrich themselves.
Mind-blogging movements of funds transferred enormous sums of cash to those instrumental in devising a so-called national sovereign fund.
Look at the recipients’ complete lack of a moral compass as they allegedly enriched themselves without an iota of decency – they amassed so much illicit wealth with no sense of guilt.
Self-esteem and a God-fearing disposition may well be compromised when people are baited with the prospect of self-gratification – and succumb to the temptation.
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Having embraced the path of immorality, a cluster of shameless characters, however, are still portraying themselves as saviours of the people!
Sadly, by using entrenched race-based polemics, they have gained some acceptance among a segment of the population. By playing the race card, they have unscrupulously diverted these people’s attention from the blatant thievery.
When confronted with what appears to be conclusive evidence of their guilt, they complain of a political vendetta!
As bystanders, we have an obligation to consider whether they have been persecuted or prosecuted. When successive eminent jurists find an accused guilty of a breach of the law, then we have no alternative but to say, at least for now, we rest our case.
That said, the established procedure is that an accused person stands innocent until held otherwise at the highest level of judicial appeal.
So it would be absolutely in order for those accused to pronounce their innocence, pending a final judgment by the highest court of appeal – notwithstanding public perception of the matter.
But while awaiting the outcome, one would expect a convicted person to shy away from the public domain for the simple reason he is entrapped in a conviction of guilt until held otherwise.
What we see instead is his supporters’ blind allegiance. For these ethno-centric politically entrenched supporters, the felons are perceived as victims of a witch hunt.
The malaise lies in blurred lines of vision between politically motivated incorrectness as opposed to the well-reasoned pronouncements of the courts of justice. Leveraging upon the sentiments of their supporters, those accused display outlandish public behaviour, acting as liberators of the people.
Some speculate this is a covert manoeuvre to place in power a government of their choice. They will thus be able to extricate themselves from all the allegations of malfeasance while in office.
Given all this, we the people have a duty to distinguish between the culprits and the righteous.
We have a chance to do so in the Johor state election.
Vote for the incorrigible Barisan Nasional or their immoral Perikatan Nasional bedfellows and be doomed!
Alternatively, exercise your right to consign this motley bunch of unprincipled politicians to the rubbish bin.
Let’s rekindle the hopes and dreams of a progressive political ecosystem – just as we did in the 2018 general election.
K Veeriah is a veteran trade unionist based in Bukit Mertajam, Penang
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