KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leaders have praised Malaysians who came out in droves to vote in the last election, which led to the imprisonment of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over corruption.
Speaking to The Vibes, the opposition lawmakers said the Federal Court’s decision yesterday was a testament to the importance of every single vote cast during the 2018 election.
They added that the sentence would not have been meted out had it not been for the fall of Barisan Nasional (BN) four years ago at the hands of Pakatan Harapan (PH).
PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil yesterday described the development as a victory for ordinary Malaysians who had gone out of their way to ensure a change of government, and that this proved the people’s power must not be underestimated.
The Lembah Pantai MP said PH’s victory allowed for the legal proceedings to begin against Najib, and none of this would have happened had BN remained in the corridors of power.
“At the time, Najib denied everything to do with 1Malaysia Development Bhd…apart from the SRC International case, he faced multiple other trials. This wouldn’t have been possible if the rakyat did not speak out and vote for change.
(The) decision vindicates and validates that voting matters, despite what we went through with the changes in government. It all began when Malaysians opted for a change on May 9, 2018.
Yesterday, the Federal Court upheld the high court’s conviction of Najib for all seven charges in his SRC International corruption case, and ordered him to serve 12 years in prison and pay a RM210 million fine.
Amanah communications director Khalid Abdul Samad said yesterday’s decision showed that the public should not lose trust in the political system and ought to cast their ballots, regardless of events that transpired during the infamous Sheraton Move in March 2020.
“This is where I have to emphasise to Malaysians who recently said they have become fed up with politics and will not vote in the coming elections, on why (their votes) matter.
I think the fact we are seeing what we are seeing today shows how important it is to come out and vote and secure victory, particularly for those who have been fighting for justice,” the Shah Alam MP said.
DAP vice-chairman M. Kula Segaran echoed his PH colleagues in saying that Najib’s prison sentence is evidence that the ballots cast by millions of Malaysians in May 2018 were not in vain.
The Ipoh Barat MP vowed that if PH were to be given another shot at Putrajaya, more individuals would be charged for various offences committed during BN’s reign.
“All this wouldn’t happen if PH did not win the election. So please don’t let anyone tell you that voting is useless. We are powerful; our vote matters,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Meanwhile, Pejuang deputy president Datuk Marzuki Yahya said the struggle championed by PH then – that rampant corruption had taken place under Najib’s helm – has proven to be true.
“We can only thank ourselves and the judiciary for (the) outcome. This is our victory for the rakyat and nation.
“If we had not unearthed the corrupt practices by Najib and exposed his crimes, he wouldn’t have been charged in court, and our country would be going to the woods.” - The Vibes, August 24, 2022
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