Najib’s case shows votes are important, political change not for nothing

SHAH ALAM – The decision made by the Federal Court which upholds former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's conviction, jail sentence and fine for misappropriating RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd funds should be a lesson to the public that every votes that bring changes to the political arena in the country matters and it is not for nothing.

Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) information chief Datuk Nizam Mahshar said whatever happened was possible with the political change which took place in May 2018 during the 14th General Election.

Hence, he said GTA would expect the court’s decision today would give the people hope and lead them to make an effort to fix Malaysia to be a more developed country with integrity.

“Every vote is precious. Every vote is a small step to send those who embezzled the people’s money to prison.

“The Federal Court’s decision today should be a reminder for us to continue fixing the country for a better nation with ethics and people with good morale,” he said in a statement.

A five-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat unanimously made the ruling after finding that the Kuala Lumpur High Court had not erred when it convicted Najib on the charges.

Following the decision, the former prime minister was ordered to serve 12 years in prison and pay a fine of RM210 million.

Nizam said the decision also proved that the Malay political leadership should change as the malay politics these days were equated to corruption politics, money politics, and abuse of power.

He added eventhough there were loyal supporters of Najib and Umno still wanted to prove that they were innocent, the court showed evidence that abuse of power, breach of trust and money laundering took place.

“Today's decision justifies why Malay politics should be changed comprehensively and proves that the Malay political leadership is capable of displaying authoritative leadership capable of managing and developing the country well and giving justice to all.

"This is the basis for the establishment of GTA to give a new option to the Malays that politics can be purified and we still have authoritative political leadership to offer," he said.