Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 9^th March 2012: 

Chief Justice Ariffin Zakaria should intervene against the harsh and excessive one-year jail sentence imposed on imam Hoslan Hussein

For the past few days, Malaysian sense of decency and propriety had been pulverised by a battery of blows which collectively signal that something is very rotten with the Najib administration which is marking its third anniversary next month, viz:

• the one-year jail sentence by the Federal Court for contempt of court by imam Hoslan Hussein who flung his shoes at the three-man bench led by Chief Judge of Malaya Justice Zulkifli Ahmad Makinuddin on February 22;

• Two years for the High Court judge to produce a 70-page judgment on the murder trial of Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was blown to bits with C4 explosives, which was totally unconcerned about the motive of the murder.

• The denial of welfare aid and farming subsidies to disabled Sarawak farmer Frusis Lebi, 51, by Sarawak agriculture assistant minister Mong Dagang for supporting the opposition.

• The unending revelations of the horrors of the RM250 million National Feedlot Centre “cow condo” scandal reaching far beyond the shores of Malaysia, with the latest allegations of purchase of properties not only in Singapore but also in Kazakhstan involving public funds specifically meant to promote greater beef self-sufficiency in the country.

• Unconvincing denial by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the RM2.2 billion 50km Kidex (Kinrara-Damansara Expressway) concession had not been awarded to UMNO-linked firms as a reward for helping to accomplish Najib's undemocratic, illegal and unconstituional power grab in Perak toppling the elected Pakatan State Government led by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin.

• Another RM840 million government bailout for former Malaysian Airlines (MAS) chairman Tajudin Ramli, sombre reminder that Malaysians today are still paying for the RM100 billion losses caused by the financial scandals which dogged the 22 years of the Mahathir premiership.

These are only a partial list of the host of abuses of power, corruption, cronyism, lack of accountability, blatant injustices and sheer absence of good governance despite all the high-falutin talk and sloganeering by Najib since becoming Prime Minister three years ago of “1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now” and all the transformation programmes whether Government Transformation Programme (GTP), Economic Transformation Programme (ETP:), Political Transformation Programme (PTP), etc.

Will the voices of concern and outrage on all these issues felt and expressed by Malaysians be heard and heeded by the Prime Minister and the powers-that-be?

For a start, will the Chief Justice of Malaysia Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria intervene against the harsh and excessive penalty of one-year jail sentence handed down by the Federal Court yesterday against imam Hoslan Hussein for his shoe-throwing, tempering justice with mercy especially as:

• the shoe-throwing happened more than a fortnight ago on Feb. 22 and was no more a direct contempt of court;

• punitive action now by the same three Federal Court judges when they did not take action against him on the day in question reeks of conflict-of-interest and being unduly harsh and excessive, especially when compared to punishments meted out to more heinous crimes like corruption involving important political personaltiies in government.

Furthermore, will Najib intervene both as Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional Chairman to end the political victimisation and discrimination against disabled Sarawak farmer Frusis Lebi by restoring to him all welfare aid and farming subsidies?

If not, the issue will be highlighted in Parliament which reconvenes next week.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor