THE THIRD FORCE
A new report by The Edge Markets quoted Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah as saying that the trial of former Malaysian premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak involving alleged misappropriation of SRC International Sdn Bhd’s RM42 million will go beyond Malaysia’s next general election.
According to Shafee, Najib’s lead defence counsel, this is in anticipation that the case will reach the Court of Appeal before ending with the Federal Court.
“So I’ve always looked forward to a good hearing ultimately in the Federal Court because as you know, if things do not change this matter will reach the Federal Court. That is where I am hoping many issues are properly addressed.
“It will go beyond the next election. To prepare this record of appeal, the record will be taller than you if you stand up, maybe double your length. They (prosecution) have got to prepare, and the judge has got to prepare the judgment and then we have got to go to the Court of Appeal first.
“That will take three, four weeks of hearing and then the record has got to be reprepared, maybe this time it will be three times your height (when it is submitted) to the Federal Court.
“So you’re looking at many years,” Shafee said.
Shafee’s prediction centres on the assumption that the 15thgeneral election (GE15) will be held in 2023 following the completion of a full parliamentary term.
However, writings on the wall indicate that the next election may be held during the first half of 2020, perhaps even as early as March or April next year, maybe even earlier.
Current premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has several options at hand to trigger a massive shakeup of the Malaysian political landscape to bring into effect a Malay-Muslim majority coalition.
Several of these options have been outlined in an ongoing series by The Third Force which also suggests the possible dissolution of parliament following the proclamation of Emergency by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (follow links below).
LINKS TO PART ONE AND TWO HEREIN:
Despite the propaganda fuelled perception play by team Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir and his protégé apparent, Dato’ Seri Azmin Ali, have the numbers but aren’t quite focused on the “numbers game.”
On the contrary, Mahathir is said to have already decided who the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia is going to be and is weighing in on options made available to him, including the possible arrest of Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and the suspension of DAP on charges of terrorism.
Lim has been accused of orchestrating a multibillion ringgit land-swap scam involving a bogus “Undersea Tunnel” project centred in the northern island of Penang.
The Minister of Finance is also accused of waging a war against the Malays and Islam through the delivery of racially toned speeches heavily tainted with Islamophobia.
Whatever the decision, the High Court’s verdict on Najib has inadvertently dashed any hopes of the former premier making a comeback post GE15 and has now put the spotlight onto UMNO president Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid himself claimed trial to seven new charges of corruption involving S$4.24mil (about RM12.92mil), bringing the total to 54, the highest involving a party leader and far surpassing Najib.
Zahid too will likely be fighting his case past the general election, meaning, UMNO is without a leader with the potential of becoming Prime Minister.
That is, unless Barisan Nasional is agreeable with the idea of pitting names for the post of Prime Minister from among individuals facing trial on charges of alleged corruption.
Prospects of an UMNO-Anwar-DAP team-up isn’t on the cards as it would require the Barisan Nasional component party to forgo its ties with PAS, which has made absolutely clear it wants nothing to do with Anwar and (or) the DAP.
