YOURSAY | ‘When corrupted despots run the country, only the righteous go to jail.’

Notes to my son: He will understand soon, says Rafizi

Anonymous 2436471476414726: Reading this, tears well in my eyes. I know it is pretty tough to be separated from your young child, especially the thought of not being around during his early schooling days.

But PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli, be strong. Should you despair, just remember Nelson Mandela and the suffering he endured before he finally won his rightful place in South African politics.

As the saying goes, those who laugh last will laugh the longest. Our prayers and thoughts are always with you, Rafizi. God bless.

Nikki Harieti: Strange but true - since the court verdict, each time Rafizi talks about his son, my tears just well up. Probably anyone with a conscience feels the same way.

Rafizi, take heart. One day your son will be proud of you for being the “firebrand” we need and admire.

The immense sacrifice you are making for a better Malaysia will one day be rewarded, InsyaAllah.

Hamzah Paiman: Umno Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was appointed the first minister for women, family, and community development.

Today, a four-year-old child needs his father and his family. His father is not a criminal but merely a whistleblower who is doing his part for the nation.

Do you want to break the family? Think about it.

Appum: Kudos to the wife of Rafizi and family of former Public Bank clerk Johari Mohamad. Thank you for your sacrifice and conviction that they are fighting for the rakyat.

May Allah bless your families and watch over you.

Anonymous 2484491505281360: This reminds me of the late former prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, who wrote his famous collection of letters to his daughter while in jail.

Indeed, such principled leaders like Rafizi are our future hope, unlike semi-baked quota-produced graduates, who are often children of corrupt leaders who are given lucrative positions and whose goal is wealth without work.

Our conscience is with you and your family. Let the people’s curse fall upon all responsible for this.

Meerkat: Yes, technically, Rafizi broke the law. But put that in perspective. Firstly, the country requires him to break the law to protect the interest of the people.

In most civilised nations, the law he broke won't even be a law. It's our crooked Parliament that made it a law. It's there to protect the real law-breakers. Which brings me to my second point.

The real law-breaker, who broke the law, which would be a law in any other country (first or third world), is the one who takes action to try and jail Rafizi. And that’s the police and the AG's office.

Existential Turd: Dear Rafizi, when corrupted despots run the country, only the righteous go to jail.

Jail time in Malaysia should be viewed as a badge of honour. Such an honorific title can never be taken away, unlike some other titles bestowed by royalties.

Most people, including myself, do not have the courage to do what you do. Thank you for your sacrifice. You have earned our respect and trust.

That is something even rarer than the “Tun” title in Malaysian politics.

Fair Play: Hang in there, Rafizi. Every obstacle, roadblock, unfair treatment, accusation, and especially the act of putting you behind bars on political grounds, will lay the foundation for your ultimate success as a future prime minister of Malaysia.

All right-thinking Malaysians stand solidly behind you.

Tok Wah: Stay strong, Rafizi. You are the beacon of hope for a better Malaysia. We stand and walk with you. May God bless you and your family.

Rafizi to Shahrizat: Yes, I'm not the victim, the cows were

Anonymous_b3cdcd05: Rafizi, whatever you may say in your magnanimity to console us, none of us can help feeling sad and disappointed at the level of injustice done to you and your family.

As you rightly pointed out, the real victims of the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) saga are the abused cows, the taxpayers and the impoverished cattle-rearing farmers that were cheated of their entitlement.

And as you rightly lamented, you and Johari who exposed the corruption were made the scapegoats while the real crooks that allegedly stole from the NFC, merely to wallow in the lap of wealth and luxuries, were protected from the law.

Ironically the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) 1989, which was meant to protect client information, has been abused to protect the records of alleged culprits. But I would not lose sleep over Shahrizat’s statement if I were you.

Vgeorgemy: We fully agree that if we had allocated RM250 million to cattle-breeding small farm cooperatives, by now we would have created a high-quality meat-exporting industry earning substantial foreign currency.

This could easily be achieved if we financed kampung-style farming communities. Such an attempt would increase the income-earning capacity of the rakyat.

Schemes such as Felda would have been an ideal place for such projects, instead of venturing into ornamental fishes required high-level costly marketing exercises.

Just a Malaysian: South Korea did it right. Every farmer was given assistance to rear several high-quality cows as cash income. The cows were sold at premium prices and it helped to raise the income of poor farmers.

God-fearing: It is very sad and tragic for any country, institution or organisation when a good man or woman goes down or gets imprisoned to protect a bad person, and even more sad and tragic when without remorse, regret or repentance, the guilty one rejoices and further condemns the good guy.

This trend, when a string of good guys, especially good Malay leaders, governors and directors and director-generals - top men or women (not necessarily politicians only) - are dropped or bypassed and replaced by ‘another’ less threatening alternative.

This trend, if it continues will lead to a darker era for the country and those who prop up or vote such a regime, or are in it, will be answerable ... and accountable on that final day.

Redmann: It makes no sense to a lawyer with my experience when the rule of law and the cause of justice are on a collision course.

I have some very learned Malaysian friends who irk the sanity out of me when they say,"Ya lah, but this is Malaysia...", like that statement has the stamp of finality.

I love the Malaysia that gave us the Semenyih Jaya verdict at the Federal Court. I love the Malaysia that gave us justice for Indra Gandhi, whose daughter was converted to another religion without the consent of both parents.

I love the Malaysia that allows constructive criticism without being "operated and lallanged" along the way. I hate the Malaysia that approves of racial-religious politics.

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