What message does Khir Toyo’s release send to the public?

How can we educate the public, that it is wrong, to have financial dealings with people and firms, in an official capacity, and at the same time, have private arrangements with them?

Mariam Mokhtar, The Ant Daily

For years, he denied that he was corrupt. When he was finally convicted, he appealed his sentence, and claimed that his family had been humiliated enough, and he was the sole breadwinner.

He tried to avoid imprisonment, but he lost. When he was charged, he received a one year jail sentence. Six months to the day, we are told that Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo has been released.

For starters, his short sentence, for corruption, was a rap on the knuckles for someone who held high office. Khir Toyo’s release sends a message to the rakyat that crime does pay.

For someone who was responsible for, arguably, the most developed and richest state in Malaysia, having friends in high places does help. Has Selangor Umno Baru a role for him to play, in GE14, to retake Selangor?

It was reported that Khir Toyo’s lawyer claimed that his client’s parole application had been approved by the parole board. The former MB will serve his remaining jail term at home, be together with his family, and be monitored by parole officers.

The rakyat will observe the treatment meted-out to corrupt leaders, and think that if it is OK for them to break the law, it is OK for us.

Perhaps, it is time that the parole system in Malaysia was revamped, and one of those conditions should be that people who have been sentenced to one year in prison, should not be eligible for parole.

How are we to convince the public that corruption is a serious crime, when the prisoner does not serve his full sentence?

How can we educate the public, that it is wrong, to have financial dealings with people and firms, in an official capacity, and at the same time, have private arrangements with them?

How are we to reassure the public that knowing senior politicians, will not influence the outcome of a court case, or the length of a prison sentence?

How is the rakyat to trust the government, if corrupt people receive a light sentence, and the terms of their imprisonment are not enforced?

One mother was hauled to court and charged because she stole a RM32 packet of Milo. Another father of three, whose baby had died in childbirth, leaving the wife in a coma, found that he and his family had been evicted from their house. Then, out of desperation, he stole RM27 of food, to feed the family.

Both these tragic people, suffering from the high cost of living, were eventually saved by the actions of the rakyat and a mega-store manager.

Sadly, our legal system appears to support corrupt politicians. The same politicians who take from the rakyat.

And guess what? The champions of hudud law have not yet said how corrupt people will be punished.