The rakyat was shocked by last year’s reduction in his sentence and the discounted fine. They worry about the two-tiered system of justice in the nation. They compare people who were jailed after stealing food to feed their families with Najib who stole billions of ringgit, not to feed his family, but to satisfy his and his family’s greed.

We are aware that when the Pardons Boards for the various states meet and consider the appeals of prisoners, their decisions are not announced in the media. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa has confirmed that decisions are never made public as they are confidential.

We also understand, perhaps rightly or wrongly, that when prisoner appeals are submitted to the Pardons Board, the applicants would naturally be told whether their appeals have either been denied or approved.

However, Najib’s appeal is mired in controversy. If he was given house arrest or a pardon, the whole nation would be horrified. The reduction in his sentence and discount for his fines has already angered us.

Why are the authorities lenient with Najib? He dominates the media at a time when we want to hear Putrajaya discuss important things about Malaysia, like the protection of children and young women, ways to combat rising crime, the failures and corruption of Puspakom which we’ve known about for decades, the environmental degradation, flood mitigation measures, the healthcare system, and cost of living crisis.

Master manipulator

Don’t ignore Najib’s seven-minute video which he made a week after his conviction. He claimed that the SRC International money had been used for Umno-Baru’s “welfare programmes” and “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) initiatives for orphans. Apparently, none had been used for himself.

Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he? Prisons are full of people who claim to be innocent.

These welfare programmes were not mentioned during his trial, the witnesses failed to mention these welfare programmes, and he omitted to mention the orphans.

Najib is not just a common thief who stole the rakyat’s money, he is also a liar and a desperate one, who is still trying to convince his gullible supporters, that he is innocent of all the charges.

He is a convicted felon and he should be left to serve his sentence. He should not be allowed house arrest or further reductions of his fine and sentencing.

On the day Najib was convicted of all seven charges, for abuse of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust, a succession of Umno-Baru leaders expressed their sympathy for the convicted criminal.

Where was their sympathy for the rakyat?

Despite overwhelming evidence from overseas supplied by governments and financial institutions, Najib continued to be economical with the truth about 1MDB.

Najib appears to wield more power now than some ministers in Putrajaya. He is a master manipulator and good at controlling people.

The Madani administration should stop him from issuing statements from Kajang.