With the Federal Court restoring Tan Sri Isa Samad’s six-year prison sentence and RM15.45 million fine, he is is likely to become the third federal cabinet minister, after Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Razak, to spend time behind bars.
In a country long accustomed to political impunity, this is no small development. In fact, as a rule, I regard it as a positive one.
Some people, who often speak about such conceptual ideas as institutional reform, judicial independence or governmental accountability, will probably welcome Isa Samad's date with the prison as a positive development. They will likely interpret his impending incarceration as a sign that that status, rank, and political lineage no longer guarantee immunity. That alone marks progress in a country long haunted by selective prosecution and elite protection.
But in working class terms, I think that Isa's impending incarceration will just be viewed positively in a more visceral sense.
There is something deeply cathartic about seeing those once powerful finally subjected to the same harsh realities faced by ordinary citizens. In moments of profound stress — social, political, and economic — societies often search for symbolic acts of release. In ancient villages, calamities such as drought, plague, or famine were met with ritual sacrifices: a goat, a chicken, an offering to unseen gods in the hope of relief.
Today, our gods are different. They go by names like rule of law, accountability, and justice. But the instinct remains the same.
As Malaysia is buffeted by racial polarisation, religious anxieties, economic uncertainty, institutional decay, and even whispers of regional separatism, there is a peculiar emotional release in watching powerful politicians finally face prison. Much like the starving villager who finds solace in the ritual slaughter of a goat, society finds temporary psychological relief in the spectacle of elite punishment.
Although no one can say for sure whether such sacrifices truly pleases the gods, but what is of no doubt is that it does soothe the suffering of the people.
The jailing of Najib Razak, the once untouchable prime minister, was perhaps the most powerful symbol of this release. Now, Isa Samad joins this list — a former federal minister, Felda chairman, and powerful UMNO warlord brought down by corruption convictions involving kickbacks linked to a hotel acquisition.
I truly believe that if a few more “Demigods of Putrajaya” were to fall and find themselves behind bars, it will indeed go along way to convince some Malaysians that long awaited reforms is indeed being implemented, and Malaysia has or can be expected to turn around from its trajectory of decline and deterioration, while providing many ordinary Malaysians with the satisfaction of the realization that we are not the only one that are having a hard times in the country - our higher ups and elites are also suffering just like us.
If we can collectively experience a few more cathartic experience like this, who knows, maybe our collective suffering can be appeased enough for us to find a way out of our distress and suffering, rather than just relieve ourselves by lashing out against each other.
We lashing at each other -racially, religiously or regionally - might provide us with temporary relief, but it is exacerbating our distress and suffering in the medium and long run.
To stop making things worse by continuously lash out every time the stress becomes unbearable, and make things worse for ourselves, the way that scratching an itch makes the wound worse, perhaps it will be well to throw a politician or minister in jail once or twice a year. Like an soothing ointment on a wound, it will stop us from scratching the itch, which will in turn go a long way to cure the wound.
Yet, beneath this sense of catharsis lies a deeply uncomfortable question — one that Malaysia, with its ever-present racial arithmetic, cannot afford to ignore.
If Isa indeed joins Najib in prison, every major federal minister who has gone to jail will be Malay.
Najib Razak.
Anwar Ibrahim.
Isa Samad.
In a society where race is never merely incidental, this pattern is not politically neutral. Like it or not, racial optics matter. They shape public perception, political mobilisation, and communal sentiment.
The last thing we need to spoil this cathartic experience, is the whispers that Malay leaders are being disproportionately targeted, that anti-corruption efforts are selectively enforced, that institutional reform is masking political realignment. Whether these perceptions are fair or not is almost secondary. In Malaysia, perceptions often harden into political realities.
In Malaysia, such racial arithmetic, whether we like it or not, carries political consequence.
Hopefully, then, a non-Malay former minister will also soon find himself on the road to prison, simply to balance the national equation. Considering how deeply endemic corruption is in this country, it surely cannot be difficult to locate a suitable candidate. That way, Malaysians of all backgrounds can fully experience the cathartic pleasure of watching our political demigods fall — without the moment being spoiled by racial calculation.
TheRealNehruism (nehru.sathiamoorthy@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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