Friday Jottings: When shamelessness prevails
ALL the foaming and frothing at many a mouth following the discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s 47 cases of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering were actually unnecessary.
Well, probably not all.
It applies to all supporters, apologists, advocates and supporters of Pakatan Harapan but not those of Umno/Barisan Nasional’s or in particular Perikatan Nasional’s.
From the word go, it was obvious that the PH component parties were readying themselves for it, consciously or otherwise.
They became apologists of both Zahid and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after the latter appointed the former as Deputy Prime Minister.
They were silent, or their protests were muted when Zahid managed to get his passport back as they were aghast, albeit quietly, when the lead prosecutor of Zahid’s case reportedly opted for early retirement despite having successfully established a prima facie case against Zahid.
To pacify their pricked conscience, in accepting Zahid and Umno in their midst, they argued that it was a case of the lesser evil, better Umno and Zahid than the possibilities of the PN Government which had been painted as the monstrous green wave.
All these are developments from the 15th general election.
Prior to the polls, with principles and conscience worn on their sleeves, the PH supporters and apologists sang “Hoi Ya Hoi” chorus after Anwar, a song that literally labelled Zahid and Umno as penyamun the Malay equivalent to bandits, plunderers, brigands, thieves, robbers, all meaning the same or they can choose one that suits their whims.
There were speculations, suspicions and unconfirmed reports that Anwar and Zahid were then plotting on how to ensure the former becomes the Prime Minister with the latter’s support but both, vehemently denied such machinations.
Umno’s Datuk Ahmad Maslan was on record claiming that Zahid had uttered the sumpah laknat (damning oath) in denying that he was conspiring with Anwar when asked by the party’s top leaders.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had during the campaign period said he believed that Anwar and Zahid was in the plot, in which, after Anwar became the PM, he would work on getting the cases against Zahid dropped.
Anwar said the claim about ties with Umno was a false one made by people in BN and PN.
He demanded that they show proof that negotiations had ever taken place.
Anwar was then quoted as saying: “Mahathir said today ‘It is not that I don’t want to support PH, but they are cooperating with Zahid’. This man is asking for it!”
“I’ve been patient with Dr M…Once I become PM on the 20th (the day after polling on Nov 19), the first to get a fever would be Dr M. But of course, I pray for his health.”
Anwar had also reiterated that he would never support corrupt people, even if it meant that lost a chance to be PM.
That was then, but Dr Mahathir’s concerns now sound prophetic today as all of it have come to pass.
Anwar is PM and Zahid’s cases have been dropped, not by the court but at the request of the AGC with reasons being questioned by all and sundry.
Today, as the supporters of PH, PKR, DAP and Amanah deal with public backlash over Zahid’s “success”, the battle that is actually lost is that against corruption and abuse of power.
They have lost their moral standing to speak about it, while others more sardonic pointed out there had been no morals from the start other than a gathering of opportunistic politicians.
As their supporters and apologists rallied and tried to quell public outcry, their defence is merely about the choice of the lesser evil – better the PH devil they knew than the PN green devil, they didn’t, dragging Dr Mahathir into the equation for good measure.
But they forgot especially supporters of the DAP that have been taken by the green wave bogeyman, that when they had worked with Dr Mahathir in 2018, they brought corrupt leaders to their knees, Najib Razak and Zahid for that matter.
Today, as the DAP attempts to justify their continued support for Anwar and by extension Zahid, they seemed remiss of how far they had sunk since their time with Dr Mahathir.
Then, they justified their cooperation with Dr Mahathir as necessary to save the nation from the evil of corruption, from the kleptocrats. And they succeeded.
Today, they are tossing and turning in trying to justify the continued support for Anwar when it is under his watch that the corrupt and kleptocrats they had a hand in containing, are released.
That is how low they have sunk. And if, suspicions that efforts are underway to secure the pardon of Najib becomes a reality, can the DAP and all the purveyors of morality and good governance sink any lower.
It can then be concluded that all these talk about green wave and three R are mere pre-emptive measures to distract and justify the continued collaboration and support for Anwar to remain as PM and the DAP in the Government.
It had been crafted for some time and by the time it became entrenched in the psyche of the PH supporters the rest of their supporters and apologists, justifying unsavoury moves became accidentals.
With that, all red lines are crossed. Lying, misinformation and misleading become easy especially when the leaders do not have to defend their actions which is done by a pliant and apologetic support base.
With that too, the line between the corrupt and defenders of the corrupt becomes blurry and indistinguishable.
Next on the sacrificial altar is the sense of shame.
Shamsul Akmar is an editor at The Malaysian Reserve.
