From prison to palace

Why is our local media giving so much prominence to an ex-convict, who has been found guilty of burglary?

In recent weeks, all our dailies, especially the New Straits Times, have devoted pages and pages to this ex-convict. They even call him in an endearing term - Pak Rashid. He has even been invited to break fast with the Perak Regent!

How’s that? Straight from the walls of prison into the ante-chambers of palace.

Okay, I understand that when NST interviewed this man two years ago as he was the country’s longest-serving prisoner. That’s fine. That made a good human interest story.

But what happened next? There was a move to seek royal pardon as he had been in prison for 30 years, 11 months and nine days, which was subsequently granted by the Kedah Sultan.

I agree to that too. Maybe he has paid his price for the crime he committed. What I don’t agree is the fact that he being treated as a celebrity - not just being feted in palaces, but also being offered business opportunities as well being given inches of columns on his new lifestyle.

What is the message here? That crime eventually pays? That you get to become a prominent person even if you are a convicted burglar?

Anyway, this is a short background on Mohd Salleh Talib, 57, (Bernama)

"Pak Rashid and his friend, Jamil Ahmad, were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1976 for an armed robbery in Baling, Kedah, involving more than RM50,000 that was to be paid as salary to Felda workers. They were then 27 and 26 years of age respectively."

Pak Rashid was released from Sungai Buluh Prison on Oct 3, 2006.