Najib S Ride Puts Mrt Corp S Integrity On The Line

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I am a Malaysian citizen who was born, bred and educated in Malaysia. Save for two years in England for tertiary education and another 18 months as the UK correspondent of The Sun, I have spent all my life in this country.
Except for a traffic offence (for which I paid a compound fine), I have always been on the right side of the law and my slate is clean.
Therefore, as a citizen, I have to express my anger, disgust and repugnance that the MRT Corp has put a convicted felon above not only me but millions of other right-thinking and law-abiding Malaysians.
The decision to allow Najib Abdul Razak and his family members to be given an early ride to test out the first phase of the Putra MRT from Kwasa Damansara to Kampung Batu yesterday was certainly out of order.
What is so special about the family? Is it because its patriarch and matriarch belong to what is known as the “court cluster?” Is it because one has already been sentenced and is in the last chance saloon for a ride before he reaches the end of the line?
Why is Najib’s family superior to Joe Public’s? After all, the latter pays his taxes, never accepted bribes and never even had thoughts of stealing people’s money. Does the MRT Corp frown upon such traits?
Anti-corruption lip service
Not likely. On its website, the company says its anti-fraud and corruption policy aims to establish zero tolerance for fraud, bribery and corruption, and the procedures to be followed by MRT Corp employees, and business associates if fraud, bribery or corruption is suspected or detected.
It’s a mouthful, but such misdemeanours have not only been suspected and detected but proven in a court of law. How come someone convicted of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering – Najib – has become its poster boy?
Is MRT Corp giving prominence to someone who has been described as a “national embarrassment” by the Court of Appeal? Doesn’t such action give the impression that it is paying special interest to and giving VIP treatment to a corrupt leader and his family?
Or is MRT Corp trying to make it to the “Book of dubious records” by claiming to be the first public transport company to have a convict get a feel of the first test ride? Or will it go down in history as the first transport company in the world to have rolled out the red carpet for a convicted felon?
If you feel that I am annoyed, you are right. All I can say is that I have a right to be so. If not for the follies of Najib, we, the citizens would not have to fork out RM42 billion (at the last count) for losses incurred by 1MDB.
Gross excess
Malaysians – you and I will have to pay up every sen of that money which has disappeared and part of which has been used for some to lead lives of luxury. If he had used the money for the benefit of the public and the country, Najib may be forgiven, but he spent it on himself.
For example, Najib used his credit cards to buy more than RM3.3 million of goods at a jeweller in Italy in a single day, a court heard during the SRC International corruption trial of the former prime minister.
During the trial two years ago, the court was told that at De Grisogono, a Swiss luxury jeweller in Italy, RM3.3 million worth of jewellery was purchased on Najib’s Visa and Mastercard platinum credit cards in August 2014.
A few months later, RM466,000 was spent at a Chanel boutique in Hawaii and RM127,000 at Bangkok’s luxury Shangri-La hotel using the same credit cards.
Police seizing luxury items at a condominium unit linked to Najib Abdul Razak in Kuala Lumpur on May 18, 2018He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 12 years’ jail and fined RM210 million. Were these facts not known to decision-makers in MRT Corp? Don’t they read newspapers or watch the television?
Why should he be given such a privilege when he should be shunned? Having known Najib’s notoriety and infamy, why would anyone want to associate with him? The hidden hands who sanctioned Najib’s ride with his family may have done it for reasons to known only to themselves.
‘Investing’ in future?
Shameless as the MRT Corp can be, inviting Najib may have been seen in a different light by the company and its directors. Is the company spreading its bets or “investing” in Najib for the future? Or is it a case of patronising the convicted felon – a common peculiarity in government-owned companies?
MRT Corp may have adopted a “do it and be dammed” attitude but since it is operated with taxpayers’ funds, it can longer get away with familiar phrases like the “trains kissed” or Najib is “Bossku”, or fall back on his battle cry “Malu apa?”
However, what it failed to take into account was the sentiment of upstanding Malaysians. More importantly, this episode has more serious implications, especially when issues of integrity, honour and accountability are at their lowest ebb. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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