LETTER I Touch a politician and you hear 'persecution!'

LETTER I The funny thing about politicians is that whenever they come under probe for alleged corruption, they will yell "political persecution" or "selective prosecution".

All will use the same tagline whenever the police or MACC summon them for questioning over matters related to criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering.

They will protest their innocence loudly in the hope that their words will carry enough weight to win sympathy in the court of public opinion.

Some will even express eagerness to rush to the court of law to clear their name in the belief that their willingness to stand trial shows they have nothing to hide.

All these politicians exhibit a common "malaise" - a sudden onset of fear as they scramble to put up their defence.

To them, it is simply unacceptable that they could be charged with committing crimes because they seem to think they are untouchable and are immune to prosecution.

Considering themselves special

Once they wear the mantle of politics and become “Yang Berhomat” (YB), they invariably consider themselves to be a special breed of people who must be treated with the utmost respect.

It is as if politics has become a shield to protect them from life's vicissitudes - including being suddenly dragged to court to face charges of felony.

The common people, too, tend to hold public figures in high regard and will react with horror when they read the next day that their YB have been hauled up to court.

When their YB protest their innocence and holler it is all a dirty campaign to discredit them, the rakyat are inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

When the rakyat elect someone to represent them in the law-making bodies, they are putting all their trust and confidence in him to carry out his duty with integrity and dedication.

A MP or a state assemblyperson is often portrayed to be someone who must guard the interest and welfare of the rakyat at all times. His conduct must be impeccable.

Thus, it will come as a great shock to the constituents when their incorruptible lawmakers are charged with stealing public funds.

However, no matter what politicians may say to the audience to justify their innocence, there is always the sneaking suspicion in the public mind that their hasty and vociferous defence is all theatrics serving to cover up their guilt.

Being self-righteous politicians, they will always make the most noise unlike the common man who, when charged with corruption, will quietly stand in the dock and, when found guilty, will meekly go to prison. He cannot shout it is all politically motivated.

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