MP SPEAKS | This Merdeka, let's remind Umno that rakyat are kingmakers

MP SPEAKS | Is Hari Merdeka a joyous occasion because justice was seen to be done at the Federal Court? Or should I be furious at the two men for holding the country hostage to remain free with impunity?

I mean, what is Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi playing at? Or former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s family for that matter?

While all that drama of choking back tears intermittent with open sobbing and portraying Najib as an honest leader who sacrificed much for his country made my skin crawl, I and many of us are not the target audience.

Neither are those who turned up for the recent party meeting at the World Trade Centre, for they are there to toe the line and play a role, immaterial of whether they actually believe Najib is innocent.

The question is this: who would find it hard to accept that Najib’s incarceration isn’t well-deserved?

In an early court case, he admitted that RM42 million was deposited into his account.

The manufactured story of those funds being a donation from a Saudi prince was shredded into pieces when former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali admitted in court that it couldn’t be verified as no meeting took place between his officers and donor.

Plus, all the dots can be perfectly linked to show Najib looted the cash.

So, why does Zahid bother with the protracted campaign to free Najib, who is serving a 12-year jail term? He is talking to the larger voter bank: people who need not necessarily understand why the Federal Court disallowed new evidence or the request for an adjournment.

Between the tears, attempts to force Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to call for a general election and the audacious demand for a royal pardon, Zahid hopes to squeeze his way to the top position where he could then dictate the shots.

And this could range from Najib walking free to the dismissal of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat.

But while all of this is possible only if Umno wins the next election, this is where the country is at now, as we are set to celebrate our independence, in that two powerful men are holding the prime minister under siege with threats and using social media to peddle lies.

So, in the spirit of our Independence Day, let’s show the Umno elite that ultimate power lies in the hands of the people by voting them out at the next polls.

Martin Luther King said, “From every mountainside, let freedom ring”. As we celebrate Merdeka Day, let’s do everything in our power to stay free of corrupt leaders who think their colleagues would continue protecting them.

Let’s send them the clear message that no one is above the law.

CHARLES SANTIAGO is Klang MP.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.