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Najib's arrest: Political persecution or rightful action?

LETTER | Was Najib Abdul Razak’s arrest a false one that was politically motivated? Or should he be treated equally, made to wear an orange jumpsuit and handcuffed, and humiliated for what he did?

Both are extreme thoughts stemming from the arrest of the former prime minister.

As the saying goes, “There is no such thing as the absolute truth”. Well, except for taxes (tongue in cheek) and death.

This is evident with the responses coming from varying quarters, especially with one side supporting Najib and the other perhaps hating him to the core.

They are both right in their perspectives and the stance is definitely a result of their exposure, experiences, affiliation and wishful thinking, so to speak.  

Putting sentiments aside, we must not heed these biased perspectives. Perhaps what is more important is the thinking and perception of the average Malaysian who does not have any personal affiliation or personal association with Najib.

Even in this category, we may still have varying views, which in fact we do, and much is a result of one’s personal upbringing, experiences and state of being, and this is only natural. A person who is soft-hearted, forgiving in nature will see him whether guilty or not with sympathy, while those who are in the opposite camp will be vengeful.

Regardless, what is wrong is wrong and we should let the process of law takes precedence. While we can build an opinion on the issue, let us not prejudge and condemn the person unnecessarily.

The irony in this case however, is just that there were too many coincidences that implicated Najib.

Likewise, there are just too many reports, within and without, that do not speak well of him, and there are just too many incidents that further put him in the wrong. We may go on and list them all, and it will be a very long list.

With all this information, i.e coincidences, reports and incidences, it is very surprising to appreciate how people reacted to it. Yes, giving someone the benefit of the doubt should be the order of the day. However, when there are just too many of these coincidences, uncalled-for incidences and reports, perhaps this adage doesn’t hold.

Having said that, this is something that we need to ponder and address: How could people have such different opinions, given the same amount of information? Is it a result of varying cultures, backgrounds, values or intelligence being utilised when digesting this information?

Perhaps academics may want to look into this aspect and help us understand better the thinking and state of minds of our fellow Malaysians. This could be a fundamental element to help us move forward in the nation-building process.


ROSDI RAHMAN is a Malaysian temporarily living in Jakarta.

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

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