KOTA KINABALU: Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's pardon might send the wrong message to people expecting for amnesty after committing crime.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said that there should only be one justice system and that no other different standard should be applied to anyone.
"I don't know how the public looks at it. If you could get a discount after doing something wrong…If there is any amnesty, then many would want to commit (crime).
"They would say 'I can also be pardoned, get a discount'. These are those questions; therefore, I think there should only be one justice," he told the media after launching the Chinese New Year Rural Development Corporation (KPD) market at Tanjung Lipat here. Yesterday, the Pardons Board made the decision to halve Najib's jail sentence which will see him being released on Aug 23, 2028.
The ex-premier was initially convicted of a 12-year prison in August 2022 for the graft over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.
Jeffrey, who is also state Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry minister, said that the market of 200 stalls would become a platform for all farmers in the future.
There is an ongoing renovation which will see a restaurant of various cuisines.
"We will also work with the platform for fisheries festivals and other related events. This place would be an attraction for customers including tourists and investors interested in the food industry."
Also present was Rural Development Corporation (KPD) chairman cum Kapayan assemblyman Jannie Lasimbang.