POLITICAL VENGEANCE OR JUSTICE
Anwar said as much over the weekend, stating that the prosecutions of several cases following the 2018 election were carried out “with such venom and enmity … and political vengeance by those in power at the time”.
Anwar himself has been jailed twice on corruption and sexual charges he has long decried were politically motivated. His supporters have consistently argued that his trials were mere tools wielded by political adversaries seeking to marginalise dissent. Anwar’s narrative of victimisation resonates within a society still grappling with the legacies of authoritarian rule.
However, since he took power in 2022, the recurrence of accusations against Anwar’s political enemies and the judiciary decisions in the controversial cases involving his new allies have raised questions about the integrity of his struggle, and the veracity of his own narrative.
Several high-profile personalities including Syed Saddiq, Mahathir Mohamad and the late Daim Zainuddin have been involved in legal proceedings that some view as being influenced by political dynamics.
Syed Saddiq, the former poster boy of youth party MUDA and Minister of Youth and Sports under Mahathir’s government (2018-2020), was sentenced in November 2023 to seven years’ jail, a fine of RM10 million (US$2.2 million) and two strokes of the cane for criminal breach of trust and money laundering offences.
He has lodged an appeal against the conviction and sentence, which is scheduled for hearing on Mar 19 and 20, 2025.
Syed has said that his prosecution was politically motivated and part of the ruling party’s efforts to quell opposition. Observers have argued that his sentence is excessively harsh, compared with other corruption cases. Justice Azhar Abdul Hamid justified it by explaining that the court took into account his status as a public figure and a role model for young people.
Syed’s case has highlighted a generational divide in Malaysian politics, where youthful fervour clashes with the entrenched interests of older political elites. Some worry his conviction could deter young people from entering politics, for fear of being caught up in the intricacies of political justice.
Mahathir and his finance minister Daim (who died last month), both once regarded as titans in Malaysian politics, have also been embroiled in allegations of corruption and abuse of power, illustrating the shifting alliances and retaliatory nature of contemporary Malaysian politics.
