By Mariam Mokhtar

After GE14, the rakyat had high hopes that corrupt politicians would be punished. The taxpayers' money was stolen, but no one was found guilty.

Pakatan Harapan may have been slow to implement their reforms, but they did initiate the investigation and arrest corrupt politicians.

The rakyat were euphoric when some politicians received travel bans, surrendered their passports, endured raids on their homes, made daily trips to MACC offices for detailed questioning, and had their bank accounts frozen.

Over the last month, two people at the highest echelons of power involved in high profile cases have been freed and cleared of their charges.

The first signs of trouble emerged when disgraced Najib Abdul Razak's stepson Riza was granted a 'Discharge Not Amounting to an Acquittal' (DNAA) for money laundering involving RM1.08 billion.

On June 9, the former Chief Minister of Sabah Musa Aman was granted a full acquittal for 46 charges relating to dirty money. These involved 35 corruption charges for which he allegedly received bribes of between US$28,500 and US$16,148,547, and 16 money laundering charges for allegedly receiving US$37 million from various individuals and timber companies.

The spotlight then fixed on the new Attorney-General Idrus Harun. Rightly or wrongly, he faces the wrath of the rakyat.

Despite the official statements issued by the AG and the former CM, it behoves us to read between the lines to find the motivations of each man.

Idrus said prosecutors withdrew all 46 charges against Musa on June 9 because former Attorney-General Gani Patail had issued the affidavit in support of Musa's application to strike out the charges. In 2012, Gani decided to take no action against Musa because investigations showed the money was for political funding.

In last month's explanation for the DNAA awarded to Najib's stepson Riza, Idrus said that former AG Tommy Thomas had agreed in principle to Riza's DNAA and was prepared to consider Riza's offer of a deal.

Is Idrus unable to think for himself? Can't he scrutinize and give a fresh airing to these high profile cases of national interest?

He uses the decisions of former AG's to issue the final verdict. He has failed to give a good impression of his work performance and judgment.

The rakyat will wonder if he has been placed under tremendous pressure from the new PN administration, especially as most of the corrupt politicians in Umno-Baru have been rewarded for their loyalty despite their tainted past.

After decades of institutionalized corruption, racism, extremism and injustice, the rakyat are eager for a fresh start, but the AG may have compromised their ideals.

An euphoric Musa, his family and supporters must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when he was freed. No one would have missed the connection, that the affidavit was provided by the former AG, who is also a Sabahan.

Sabah is the poorest nation in Malaysia. Crooks steal from the people of Sabah, but no one is found guilty despite the wealth gained from petroleum, oil palm, timber and tourism.

Musa played to the Muslim crowd and immediately thanked God for ensuring justice was served and that it was by God's will that his name had been cleared. He said God had put him and his family through a test and that God was fair and rewarded his patience.

He said that his innocence of the graft charges was "very clear" and "indisputable".

But the rakyat would like to know how.

Malaysians recall the cowardly Musa sneaking into Brunei to take a flight to Singapore and thence to England. He was filmed in London by Malaysians who recognized him, but he then claimed that he was abroad for medical treatment.

If he was confident of his innocence, why did he have to go through the drama of running away, hiding and playing on the heartstrings of the gullible public by returning to Malaysia on a stretcher?

The rakyat are furious because only yesterday, one Terengganu man was jailed for 15 months for stealing petai from a farmer.

Is God fair, they may ask? Is God testing this man, too?

The rakyat compare theft on a grand scale by politicians and their children, and the punishments they receive.

They note that the poor who struggle to scrape a living to feed their families and are forced to steal, are given harsher punishments. The thief suffers along with his family.

On the other hand, corrupt politicians escape punishment, mock the courts and give the metaphorical two fingers to the rakyat. Is the whole judicial system compromised? Or are there two sets of laws — one for the elite, and one for the ordinary man?

The two acquittals do not bode well for the nation. The rakyat will not be surprised if Najib and his spouse, the former self-styled First Lady of Malaysia (FLOM) Rosmah Mansor, will be freed, as will the others such as Zahid Hamidi (former DPM), Abdul Azeez Rahim (Tabung Haji) and Isa Samad (Felda).

The AG lives on a knife-edge. He either faces the wrath of the rakyat, or is forced to live in constant fear of the retribution from Umno-Baru politicians.

Can Idrus Harun live with his conscience if he fails to uphold justice, as he was trained to do? Will he protect the integrity of his office and his public role in the interests of the nation and the rakyat?

Source:

1. MalaysiaKini: Ex-AG Gani's affidavit helped secure Musa's acquittal

2. MalaysiaKini: Musa: Evidence of my innocence indisputable

3. Free Malaysia Today: AG tells why charges against Musa 'untenable'

4. New Straits Times: Watch: Is this man spotted in London Musa Aman?

5. Sinar Harian: Kerana petai, dipenjara 15 bulan

6. Sinar Harian: Kronologi kes-kes berprofil tinggi di Malaysia

7. Transparency International: Separate powers of AG and public prosecutor to restore trust in Malaysian judiciary

 (Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)