There was a time when helping Najib Razak was a measure of loyalty. And there was a time when not helping him cost a prime minister his job.
Let us not forget Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He was not removed because he lost an election or failed to govern. He was accused, openly, of not doing enough to help Najib. In Malaysian politics, that accusation was enough.
Today, Najib is serving a fifteen year sentence in the 1MDB case. The addendum has been rejected. Appeals will follow. The legal process continues.
But the real question is no longer legal. It is political.
Some want Najib out. Some want him to remain in prison. Not purely because of justice, but because his absence stabilises positions. Once Najib is out, power shifts. Comparisons return. Questions get uncomfortable.
This is why silence is so loud today.
And so we must ask: is crying at PAU for Najib enough?
Is public emotion a substitute for action?
Is loyalty measured in tears, or in risk?
Is sympathy offered only when it is safe and performative?
If Ismail Sabri was removed for not helping Najib, then who is helping him now?
Who is willing to speak when silence is safer?
Who will defend due process without fear of consequence?
Because silence is not neutral. It is a choice.
Najib Razak remains in prison today. That is a fact.
But the story is not over.
And how Malaysia answers this moment will reveal whether justice here is driven by principle or by fear of what happens when one man returns.
Raja Sara Petra
Raja Sara Petra (rajasarapetra@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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