If you had told Malaysians a decade ago that Jamal “Red Shirt” Yunos would one day make headlines for a towel and half a slipper, they might have assumed it was a metaphor for political downfall. Turns out, it was literal.
If you think this is a story of how a slipper was thrown at Jamal or how he had thrown in the towel, sorry to disappoint me.
Instead, In what may be the most surreal auction in recent memory, a used towel belonging to Jamal and one half of a pair of slippers — yes, just one slipper, the other presumably lost to history, destiny, or poor housekeeping — were auctioned off for an astonishing RM33,000.
If irony had a sense of humour, this would be it.
The auction, reportedly conducted in lively fashion, saw bidders enthusiastically driving up prices for items that, under normal circumstances, might not even be accepted by a bundle shop — even if offered for free.
Why, you ask?
Well, your guess is as good as mine.
Perhaps it was sentiment. Perhaps symbolism. Perhaps performance art. Or perhaps Malaysians, having survived endless political drama, inflation, and existential fatigue, simply needed a new way to laugh at their own reality.
Whatever the reason, Jamal’s towel and half-slipper have now entered the annals of Malaysian political folklore, that future students of political science in our universities and colleges will have to study, in order to extract the meaning behind it.
From Red Shirts to Red Numbers
The story behind these auctioned items,however, is less amusing.
Although it was not expressedly stated, I will go on a limb and guess these items wire likely amongst the items that were reportedly seized following court action linked to Jamal’s legal battles, most notably his defamation case with DAP’s Teresa Kok. After losing in court and being ordered to pay damages and legal costs, court bailiffs were dispatched to execute a writ of seizure and sale. Fourteen items were taken. Among them, perhaps, were a towel and a lonely slipper.
Anyway, that the used goods that he used to own is fetching astronomical prices might be a silver lining in the very dark cloud that has engulfed Jamal recently. From having his assets seized to losing court cases to having his property seized to pay off his legal losses to getting stricken with stage 4 cancer ( although he miraculously recovered in just months after) , the string of bad news befalling Jamal has been never ending.
If Jamal’s other seized belongings perform similarly, he may yet manage to settle his debts, stave off bankruptcy, and — with some luck — enjoy a relatively peaceful 2026.
A Never-Ending Chain of Misfortune
Jamal’s recent years have unfolded like a tragicomic checklist of political disaster.
First, the electoral defeat of Najib Razak in 2018, which instantly turned Jamal from street general to political orphan.
Then, the lawsuits. One by one, prominent figures — Khairy Jamaluddin, Teresa Kok, and Maria Chin Abdullah — took him to court, and one by one, judgments went against him. Damages piled up. Legal costs mounted. Political allies vanished.
Then came the seizure of assets.
Before that, there was the dramatic announcement: stage four cancer, with metastasis to the brain, a 3cm tumour, and a prognosis that sounded grim enough to prepare the nation for a political obituary.
And then, just months later, the miraculous recovery.
Cancer defeated. Medical marvel achieved. Headlines reversed.
One could be forgiven for experiencing narrative whiplash.
As Jamal triumphantly returned to public view, Teresa Kok promptly reminded him that beating cancer did not mean beating court judgments.
“Congratulations on beating cancer,” she wrote. “Time for Jamal to pay my lawyer as instructed by the Court.”
Shortly thereafter, court bailiffs arrived.
When Politics Loses Interest in You
Not too long ago, Jamal “Red Shirt” Yunos commanded crowds in their tens of thousands. In 2015, at the height of Najib Razak’s crisis, Jamal led the Himpunan Maruah Melayu rally, countering Bersih 4 with a show of street muscle that placed him firmly in the national spotlight.
He was loud, aggressive, theatrical — and extraordinarily visible.
At that time, power seemed close enough to touch. Had Najib survived 2018, Jamal might well have been rewarded with a parliamentary seat, perhaps a deputy ministry, maybe more. In Malaysian politics, loyalty is often generously compensated — provided the horse you back crosses the finish line first.
But Najib lost.
And in Malaysian politics, there is no more unforgiving sin.
Today, Najib is in prison.
Jamal, meanwhile, is auctioning off personal effects.
From commanding half a million rally-goers to watching strangers bid on your bath towel — that is not just a fall. That is a philosophical lesson.
The Slipper Theory of Politics
Politics, as Jamal’s trajectory reminds us, is a brutal business of absolutes.
When you win, you are elevated. Your mistakes are forgiven. Your flaws are rebranded as “style”. You are invited, celebrated, defended, protected.
When you lose, even your slippers are not safe.
A Second Chance, Courtesy of a Towel
And yet, perhaps this absurd auction represents something strangely hopeful.
If more of Jamal’s used goods can fetch RM33,000, perhaps he can indeed settle his debts and perhaps find his footing once again. Perhaps then he can rebuild, quietly, far from the glare of political combat.
If he is granted a second chance, one hopes he will use it wisely.
Politics, clearly, does not suit him.
He misreads allies. He misjudges enemies. He overestimates loyalty and underestimates memory. And he pays, repeatedly, for these miscalculations.
Perhaps it is time for a different vocation.
Motivational speaking, maybe — How to Lose Everything and Still Make RM33,000 from a Slipper.
Or antiques dealing — after all, he now understands the hidden value of used objects better than most.
Or perhaps simply a quiet life, free from rallies, microphones, and lawsuits.
The Final Irony
In the end, Jamal’s towel and half-slipper may have proved, once again, that in Malaysia, politics is a strange beast, that nobody really understands, but huge amount of money is involved.
And so, Jamal exits centre stage not with a rally, not with a speech, not even with a scandal.
But without a towel.
And half a slipper.
But RM 33k richer.
In a country where reality routinely outperforms satire, perhaps that is the most fitting ending of all.
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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