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To Pardon Or Not To Pardon Part 4: Conspiracy Theories From Outer Space

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There are many theories, or should we call them conspiracy theories, regarding Najib's pardon appeal. There are too many to list, but here are a few:- (1) If Najib is released, he could become a political threat to the unity government. (2) Once released, he would challenge the post of UMNO presidency, putting Zahid and ultimately the PH Unity Government at risk; (3) Or, he might join PN and strengthen PN's challenge for the crucial Malay votes in the next election; (4) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong wanted to give full royal pardon but was objected to by the Attoney General and the Federal Territory Minister. Let's analyze each of the above:- Najib as a political force. We should not forget, UMNO had been the ruling government since independence in 1957, a total of 61 years continuously. It went down in GE14 in 2018. Najib was UMNO's last prime minister proving he, or UMNO, was not invincible at all. Nonetheless, Najib star shone again during the state el...
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To Pardon Or Not To Pardon Part 2: Lee Meng, Mokhtar Hashim

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Lee Meng Lee Meng, a famous communist courier during the Malayan Emergency, was captured by the Special Branch in the early 1950s. She was sentenced to death for possession of a hand grenade and for ordering several murders. Her case attracted worldwide attention, including an offer by the then-communist government of Hungary to swap her freedom with a British spy detained in Budapest. Lee Meng in court Her appeal to the Privy Council was also rejected. Point to note: until 1978, final appeals for criminal cases must have been referred to the Privy Council, now replaced by the Malaysian Supreme Court. Since her conviction was in a Perak court, her final appeal was for pardon from the Perak Sultan. And interestingly, her appeal for pardon was supported by more than 50 members of the Malayan Parliament. Even Winston Churchill, the then British Prime Minister, strongly argued against her pardon, but the Sultan of Perak agreed to pardon her, and she was banished to China after...
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