All the justice money can buy.

Chief Justices Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Chief Judge of Sabah and 

Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, and apex court judges 

Nallini Pathmanathan, Mary Lim and Mohamad Zabidin Diah.

The naive, straight-thinking, law-abiding me with no background in the legal field used to think that the buck stopped at the Court Of Appeal. If one fails at the Appellate Court, it was pretty much that. One goes to jail to complete a sentence or meets his maker as he hits the gallows. 

Now we know there is life after the appeal. One can seek justice by pleading at the Federal Court. If the results there are not to his liking, he further argues to have a judicial review of the panel of judges that meted his sentence. Even the Federal Court can be held at ransom. This is called justice in the world of the high-heeled. Everyone deserves adequate legal representation, and it is his human right. Of course, it becomes mandatory if the client can afford the obscene amount of retainer fees involved as the case goes higher in the hierarchy of the legal accolade. Nobody has the guts to inquire about these people's seemingly bottomless coffers and the disproportional amount they save from their structured civil servant pay.

Not to forget the special treatment these VIP client is entitled to. In the eyes of the law, unlike what everybody else says, he is not a criminal until he has exhausted all his legal avenues. Till then, he will be roaming freely, still flashing his designer outfits and not repeating wearing the same tunic more than once. He can perhaps add a tinge of tangerine in his tie to mock naysayers who miss the joy of seeing him in an orange prison suit. The shiny steel cuff links can remind them of the handcuffs that he does not have to wear. 

We, the mere mortal we are, are also told that everyone deserves a second chance. Like a true religious confession, with a single stroke of the royal quill, one can get a clean slate, free to do what he seems fit, sniggering at the whole parody of it all. 

In the true mantra of cash is king, money can buy friends, love, liaisons with the rich and famous and definitely justice and freedom. Laws are made to make the powerless remain so and squirm at the sight of the stick. For the privileged 1%, it is just an inconvenience. Laws are meant to be broken. The rich can challenge it. The poor just have to oblige. 

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Politics is strange...

The Kingmaker (2019)
Director: Lauren Greenfield

An eerie resemblance exists between the Marcuses' story and that of Najib Razak's. Ferdinand Marcos was democratically elected as the President of the Philippines in 1965. The beginning of his tenure was marked by massive development and prosperity, aided by foreign funds. By the end of his second term, the economy was in the doldrums, prompting a citizen uprising. In 1972, martial law was introduced. The opposition and media were silenced.

True, in the early stage, progress was apparent, and everyone was happy. Slowly, sycophants and rent-seekers began to move in. The Marcoses soon became megalomaniacs. Beyond their collection of handbags, shoes and paintings, the symbol of their opulence is the Safari Park in Calauit Island. Imelda Marcus had had exotic animals uprooted from their natural habitats in Kenya to create a wildlife sanctuary in their own backyard. To make room for these wild animals from the other side of the world, the Government had to displace the island's indigenous people, who had lived there for generations.

Like that Najib won the 2018 elections, albeit with accusations of gerrymandering and money politics, he reinforced his position as PM. That is when the putrefying scandals of corporate foolhardy came to light. People rose to the occasion to oust what they thought was the ruling party in GE14.

Like that, after witnessing their opposition leader, Aguino, gunned down in the cold upon return from the USA, the Filipino People Power rose to the occasion to send the First Family reeling off to Hawaii from Malacanang Palace.

The long arm of the law then reached out to retrieve the vast wealth of the people, which was parked all over the world. Slowly, the dust settled. Ferdinand Marcos died in exile.

Calauit Safari Park

The initial euphoria of the People Power dwindled as the economy slowed down, and the divide between the haves and have-nots widened. Crime and drugs menaced the country. Half of the nation had to find employment overseas. People now reminisce about the good old times of the Marcos era, when life was better. The public heart mellowed. The Marcoses' plea to return was granted. The former President's body was allowed to be buried in Filipino soil.

They saw hope in Duterte as their next President to put things in order. Imelda slowly shows her mettle. Her son, Bongbong Marcus, also appears in the scene to run for the post of Vice President. The people then realised that Duterte had his election campaign financed by none other than Marcos' daughter, Imee. It all fell into place. The Marcoses are back, and the system is rigged for their purpose. Rodrigo Duterte drops another bombshell. His father was a cabinet minister in Ferdinand Marcos' first Government. There we see the connection - Duterte's link to the Marcoses!

The same thing happened in Malaysia. After the initial thrill of changing the Government without bloodshed, Malaysians soon discovered that change was not easy. The nonagenarian, whom they thought had turned over a new leaf, had all the while plotted a twisted Machiavellian move to sabotage his own Government.

Fast forward to 2022, like a scene from Mission Impossible, where Nathan Hunt removes his disguise after disguise, we see the same clowns that we abhorred reappearing stronger than before in identical, ridiculous suits.

They say love is strange, politics is stranger!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.