The trial of the empire of things.

They say the home is where the heart is, and for Lady Rosmah, her home is full of glittering stuff. 

The haul is quite mind boggling, according to Anwar. 

Anwar said: "It is unfortunate. This you cannot defend. You can open a big shop with Birken bags, Hermes bags."

In Najib's mansion alone at Taman Duta, 50 luxury handbags from brands such as Chanel, Gucci and Prada were seized. 

It reports that "the operation also yielded a haul of 10 luxury watches, including several Rolexes, a Hublot and a Patek Philippe, as well as RM537,000 (S$181,700) and 2.87 million Sri Lankan rupees (S$24,440) in cash."

But the haul above, with some items and cash amount being quite expected of a multimillionaire's home, is addition to the haul from three luxury apartments in KL's shopping district occupied by Najib and family. 

The raid loaded up 284 boxes "containing luxury handbags and 72 bags filled with jewellery, cash of various denominations, watches and other valuables...on Thursday night."

It took five police trucks to load the boxes and the director of police commercial crime investigations, Mr. Amar Singh said: "The total sum worth of items cannot be ascertained now. We will be counting and will know by tomorrow. The number of jewellery is rather big."

I guess he is also referring to a pink diamond necklace estimated at about US$23 million, purchased with 1MDB funds according to the US Department of Justice. 

Mind you, the raid on the private condominiums were the result of a tip off by members of the youth wing of PM Mahathir's party where they "received video evidence showing an alleged attempt to "hide" some 50 Birken bags that may have belonged to Madam Rosmah.""

To be fair, Najib and Lady Rosmah have hit back at the raids, saying that it has become a media circus with unwarranted leaks, and some of the officials had "helped themselves to food and chocolates in the refrigerator and further demanded that meals be prepared for them."

Lesson...?

Apart from the questionable raid being carried out, which will be investigated by Mr. Amar Singh, one has to ask, does Lady Rosmah suffer from an OCD-like hoarding disorder? 

While the poor who suffer from such unfortunate condition pack the house with discarded stuff of questionable value, making it practically inhabitable, is Lady Rosmah laboring under the same medical blight packing her mansions with stuff of inestimable value, making the same act incomprehensible?

I started this post by saying that the home is where the heart is, and if so, where then lies Lady Rosmah's, and for that matter, Najib's heart when he was the premier promising to put the Rakyat first? 

Now, it has to be said that there is nothing wrong with being rich and filling your home with good stuff to beautify it. 

Even lady Rosmah once said: "When someone gives us something, it is not nice to reject it. This said, there is no reason for me to go around announcing that I have been presented watches, designer bags and the rest. That's just showing off. As a woman and wife of a leader, I have to look presentable, neat and upkeep my appearance. I don't want to look unkempt because if I do, I will be criticised."

Well, it's one thing to look "unkempt" and it's quite another thing altogether when you fill or line the rooms and corridors of your home (or heart) as a politician's wife with branded goods you will never use, jewelleries worth millions you possibly wear only once, and cash that people will never get to earn in their lifetime.

At some point, the excesses become an entrapment, the entrapment turns into the corruption of the heart.

Mind you, Lady Rosmah was once dubbed "the first lady of shopping" after a shopping spree at a Sydney boutique that costs her an alleged sum of A$100,900.

She is also known for her fondness for designer handbags, as the raid has clearly shown, and they command a price of anywhere between US$12,000 and US$300,000. 

And let's not also forget that the MACC have also found about US$10.6 million being transferred from state fund unit SRC International to an account belonging to Najib. 

This is not including the open admission by Najib that the alleged political donation from the Saudi family (of billions in ringgit) first made its appearance in his personal bank account. 

Alas, the Bible admonishes that where your heart is, there you will find your treasure. 

And Najib and Lady Rosmah have a fabulous storehouse of worldly treasures that the Rakyat can only dream of. Indeed, it seems like the treasure of their heart is literally stored up in their houses. 

Last night, I watched The Greatest Showman and there was one part at the end when Hugh Jackman (as PT Barnum) turned to his wife (Michelle Williams) and said that he was doing all that he did (that is, touring the world with a prime donna to secure international fame and wealth) for the family, especially their two girls. 

At this point, Mrs. Barnum replied to the effect that she had never asked for all that. She has enough. She has him. She has her family. 

For her, it has never been about the things or circumstances but the family and the love that binds them together. 

That about sums up the soul and wealth of a family for me. It is about a love that is not distracted by money and a heart that knows where enduring happiness truly lies.

And if the home is where the heart is, then the heart of a home is never about filling it with things, but love, never about keeping up with the joneses but staying together in poverty and in riches, and most relevantly, never about blindly chasing after happiness when it has never left the home in the first place.

And therefore, the greatest irony in life is not being able to see what you have been looking for all your life standing just right before you. Mr PT Barnum learned that lesson the tough way. 

I call that the irony of coming back full circle and looking at things afresh with new eyes. And the privilege of that perspective is not that the things or people around you have changed, but you have.

So, maybe Lady Rosmah does not suffer so much from a hoarding disorder but a heart that is insatiable. It is a heart that finds security in the empire of things. 

Alas, this is the condition of the human heart, and no one is exempt. 

And while Najib and Lady Rosmah are now facing the populist backlash of their undoing, the enduring lesson for me is ironically captured in this whimsical quote: "I would rather carry a plastic bag with $5000 inside, than to carry a Prada bag with only $100 inside.”

For me, it means that you can’t hide the depth of your character (or its lack) behind the shallowness of earthly things…for one day, they will all unravel (in a vacant soul at deathbed or a media circus at public raid). Cheerz.

Returning to the Kingmaker's First Choice.

When I read that the King is going to pardon Anwar so as to pave the way for him to become the eighth PM of Malaysia, I thought to myself: "You can't have a better fairy tale ending with Malaysian politics."

If this is not love behind the scenes, that is, twenty years of devotion, dedication and faithfulness to the cause, both to the nation and marriage/family, then nothing is.

One senior fellow and academic, Mr Yang Razali Kassim, said: “Dr Wan Azizah is once again forced to be the reluctant saviour – the loyal wife who has to dig deep into her inner energy to be many things all at once. She is the alter ego of her husband, mother to her children, and the alternate glue that binds the disparate opposition parties together.”

To me, her struggles over twenty years make her not just a reluctant saviour, but the unsung heroine of the whole political revolution that culminated to the most stunning and inspiring landslide victory in Malaysian political history. 

If there were a theme in GE14, it is this:-

"The underdog led by an old dog supported by a mixed group of pariah, that is, persona non grata of the ruling party, with an imprisoned great Dane waiting by the wing while his Lassie-like wife tirelessly working behind the scene". 

It is a metaphorical tribute of canine-like loyalty, integrity, and tenacity. 

And that was how the citadel of defiance, complacency and corruption with a history of 60 years fell on Wednesday. 

This time the opposition did not just bark their way into a resounding victory. They walked the ground and promised to serve and sacrifice for all to turn the country around. 

Now, after the victory dust settles, this alliance confronts their greatest test, and it is the crucible of time to transform a nation they love. 

Mind you, the electoral victory on Wednesday is but the first gunshot fired to start a race and the journey ahead is still a long and challenging one.

I therefore earnestly wish Malaysians all the best in this hardscrabble journey to serve the Rakyat.

But having said all that, I would like to draw out some readily identifiable ironies of GE14. For locked in this anthology of ironies are lessons that I can learn from. Here goes. 

First, two days after the crushing defeat, Umno "celebrated" its 72nd anniversary with a prayer session. 

It was supposed to be a grand affair with much pomposity in anticipation of a win in GE14. But history was not on their side this time. 

The irony is in the words of Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin. At the muted celebration, he said: "To return to the original UMNO, we must undergo a major change within." 

He then said that "changes needed include "absolute honesty, outstanding courage and painful sacrifice."" He called for the "rebuilding of the party" and for members to return to its "original spirit". 

Incidentally, Mahathir's advice for them was this: "Go back to your roots".

The second irony rides on the words of Khairy when he said about "absolute honesty, outstanding courage and painful sacrifice".

When you watch the luxuriant couple, Najib and Rosmah Mansor, whom the papers describe as "the ubiquitous kedai kopi or on the road in taxis", you get the feeling that the only "painful sacrifice" they had offered to the nation was to come out of their palatial comfort once every end of term to campaign in the open sun. 

I guess Rosmah may have to return her 22-carat pinky diamond necklace together with her trolley stuff of Birkin handbag collection, which collectively are worth millions. 

And regarding "absolute honesty", that virtue has somehow been beaten into a pulp under Najib's administration, not only with the 1MDB scandal where billions had allegedly gone missing, but it goes further to poison the roots of the party with the cowardice of last-minute redelineation exercise to dilute the opposition electoral grounds, the temporary ban on Mahathir's Bersatu party, the hasty passing of the fake news bill to suppress genuine voices, "the circumscription of voting eligibility", the last ditch pitch to throw tax exemptions at voters under 26, shameless cash handouts to voters on the street, and to top it up, the new rules on media ban on publicising Mahathir's face on the campaign trail, which led him to say this to reporters after the win:-

"I thought you want to see the paper not my face. Now I would like to tell you that my face is no longer haram. We don't have to tear out the picture of my face. I'm not saying anything against the government, you know. By the way, at this moment, there is no government."

The party's desperation to throw the kitchen sink at GE14 like the tomato fight in Valencia town spilled over into the street and yet they still lost by a considerable margin. 

Imagine if they had been "absolutely honest" to the voters...wouldn't the town be painted in crimson red overall?

The third irony centers around the grand old man of the voting match. At 92, going 93, Mahathir sweeps in like a reckoning force of nature and blows the Umno house down in one swift victorious grab.

The great irony here is that Najib was his choice. He groomed him personally after Badawi lost favour with the kingmaker. 

But Badawi was not as controversial as Najib with the latter's blatant admission that the billions of ringgit entering his personal bank account was a political donation from the Saudis. 

Although the Attorney General cleared Najib of all wrongdoings, Mahathir was not even the least convinced by Apandi Ali's simplistic, and almost laughable, money flow charts, which he proudly held in both hands before the media in 2016 as a triumphalistic vindication of Najib.

I guess those flow charts would be taken out once again and forensically scrutinized by Mahathir's government in the coming months for hidden links and traces that were conveniently left out before.

Can't wait to see how this CSI mystery gets unraveled, that is, is it really a donation to fight terrorism or a corruption to hide a greedy administration? After all, the missing funds belong to the people, Rakyat.

Alas, Mahathir did give Najib a chance to resign so that proper account and investigation could be carried out with him out of the way. 

But Najib not only held on to power in reaction to his mentor's plea, he even went on the offensive and fired all those who refused to accept his self-declared innocence in one broad sweep, including his padawan master.

So, Mahathir took the road less travelled, or in his case, a road no premier before him had never trekked (because it was deemed political suicide).

He quit the party he dedicated 22 years of his premiership to, rallied up an alliance of foe-turned-friends, and led them in a show of unprecedented unity to go against the party he no longer recognises as good for the nation. 

In fact, if a fish rots first from the head, then it is a party that is not even remotely recognisable by him.   

And on Wednesday, the unexpected happened. The people's will sealed it. His newly minted party won by a simple majority. 

His party defeated a 60-year-old political Levithan with effectively a sling and a stone right at the heart of where it truly matters. That sent Goliath in sarong scampering for a quick getaway with his wife over the weekend. 

And the latest is that Najib has quit as BN head and banned from travel. Mahathir has a hand in the latter when he said: "It's true, I prevented Najib from leaving the country...(because) there's sufficient evidence that certain things done by the former PM (require an investigation)."

So, Mahathir not only did the unthinkable, and defeated the unsinkable, he also became the oldest head of state in the history of government to prove that he is still undeniable.

Mm...how's that for a twist of fates, or more appropriately, the wicked turn of ironies.

The fourth irony is about Dr Wan Azizah and Anwar, the couple who have inspired millions. 

If PH stands for the alliance of hope, then Anwar and Azizah together, especially for the last twenty years, stands for the alliance of love. And it spoke volume.

It has been a great struggle for Azizah, as she admitted that she was not born into the role as a politician. 

In a recent interview, she recalled this conversation she had with Anwar in prison:-

"I went to him and said "I can't stand it, going around campaigning and all that, why don't we change places"...and he said "You will never survive it." Then I knew it was not easy.""

It was indeed never easy, for both of them, including their children.

Their children have no doubt all grown up by now. But before that, that is, after their father was sacked, charged and convicted in 1998 and right through last Wednesday, Azizah lamented that raising the children alone was no easy task. 

She said: "I come back at night and see the children lying asleep, it gives (me) that extra motivation...No matter how tired you are, you are working for (their) future."

But alas, her toil has paid off, fully and most deservingly. Her working for her children's future has culminated to her being the deputy PM of Malaysia and President of PH. 

In fact, to sweeten irony with trivia, here is one fact that comes to mind after the electoral victory.

There are currently two medical doctors leading Malaysia, one a general practitioner from NUS and the other, a trained ophthalmologist who had won a gold medal in obstetrics and gynaecology from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The latter is Dr Wan Azizah.  

Indeed, the doctors are in the house.

And with that, I have come full circle from where I first started in this post. I thus return to the news yesterday about Anwar receiving the King's pardon. The journey has been an incredible one for Anwar (in fact, the latest is that Anwar will be released on Tuesday).

Mahathir said he can't do this for long. He gives himself two years and then, Anwar will take over. 

The kingmaker has finally found his successor, after two of his handpicked stepped down; one voluntarily and the other by force of the will of the people.  

Mahathir said: "It is going to be a full pardon, (he will) be released immediately when he is pardoned. After that, he will be free to participate fully in politics." 

After all's said and done here, the final (and fifth) irony has to be this: the Reformasi movement which took Malaysia by storm in 1998 when Anwar, as deputy PM, was sacked by Mahathir, has bore its first resilient fruit, that is, the fruit of freedom - Anwar's full pardon and return into the fold.  

The dean of comparative and international politics at NTU, Professor Joseph Liow wrote this in yesterday's article "A New Dawn in Malaysia":-

"GE14 was truly an epic tale for the ages, in defiance of history and the powers of incumbency, the Reformasi movement birthed in the wake of the Asian financial crisis 20 years ago appears to have finally come of age, midwifed by the man it was conceived to oppose in the first place."

By a serendipitous convergence of ironies, the prodigal son of Malaysia has finally returned. 

No, he is not Anwar, but the current Malaysian PM, who had realised his errors, made amends for them by (ironically) leading the Reformasi movement (supposedly against him and the system he had left behind) and is now setting the stage for the official handing over of the succession crown to his rightful deputy, Anwar Ibrahim.

A plan 20 years in the making, with blood, sweat and regrets. 

(ps: I have no delusion about Mahathir's past especially the BMF scandals in his early years as the premier. That was a 30-year mystery - some say cover-up - and with the win, I think his tainted past is now a distant smog superceded by the resurgence of an old, wiser man driven more by the existential call of mortality than the desperation of self-expediency).

And when that transition comes, when Mahathir hands over, the house will no longer be occupied by two medical doctors but by the most recognisable couple of Malaysia, whose love for each other and the nation has never waned because they have always been fighting for the hearts and the future of all Malaysians.

And mind you, that might just be another first in the history of government with the wife as deputy PM and her husband as PM. It would be a match made by the will of the people and held together by unfailing love and unsurpassed hope. Cheerz. 

GE14 victory for the underdogs!

Mahathir has a strange and serendipitous way of handing power over to his successor. 

First, he sacked him. Then the one he sacked got charged for sodomy. And for twenty years, he battled for his freedom with his wife taking the helm of the party they have formed.

Second, Mahathir came out of retirement, rebuilt old bridges he had burned down during the dizzying height of self-wielding power. And the culmination of that was his extended handshake with his protege-turned-foe-turned-friend-turned-partner. 

Thirdly, he fought against his former party, the one he led with a firm fist for 22 years before he stood down in 2003. 

In the process, he lost his titles, positions and privileges because politics in some countries is sadly all about unquestioned and blind support that Mahathir at his age does not want to be a part of. 

Lastly, he actually won. No joke, his party won the Malaysia GE14 this morning. He won by a simple majority enough to form the government, sending Najib packing. 

And this is the serendipitous part: one of his electoral promises is to hand the rein of government over to Anwar in due course. His age just does not permit him to run the full course. 

And if this comes true, that will be his ultimate succession plan - that is, back to the one he first chosen. Back to square one.

Talk about coming back full circle! 

Lesson? Three.

1) Mahathir. 

He said: "It would seem that we have practically achieved that figure of 112 and the figure for BN is very much less than that. This isn't fake news. They are left far behind. The likelihood is that they (BN) would not be forming the government. It's quite obvious from the showing by the people that they want Najib out."

This is the second coming of Mahathir, and his coalition party has won fair and square. This would be his second time - after stepping down - to be PM; once Malaysia's 4th PM, and now their 7th PM. 

It is like he had passed the baton to Badawi and Najib, then ran ahead of them even at his age because something's not right, and snatched back the greasy baton for some hands-on house cleaning. 

At 92, and unless he lives beyond 100, Mahathir is surely coming out of the political tunnel into the light, but it would not be for long term. 

Health would restrain him, but his spirit is undaunted. Despite his tainted past, one should give credit where credit is due. 

Mahathir is a fighter, and coming out of comfort, security and safety to turn the country around, which is headed towards a certain dimmed and ossified future, you would be hardpressed to say that he is doing it all for himself. 

Mahathir will always have his critics, past and present. But one thing you can't deny him, that is his willingness to stand up to be counted. 

Maybe that is the wisdom of age and experience, especially when one is running the last lap of his mortal life. 

And the lesson here for me is to live a life of significance, not just scrapping by and running after the next dollar or title or material goal. 

Regardless of age, I can learn to always stand for what is right, stick to it come rain or shine, even if I have to stand alone, and always have hope and faith that doing and sticking to what is right is a reward in itself; you don't need any public endorsement of it. 

There is a saying that external force breaks an egg from the outside and kills it. But internal force, from the inside, nurtures and grows the egg and saves it. 

Ultimately, what counts is our character, the anchorage of meaning, and our courage to stand for what is right. 

2) Democracy.

Personally, after Trump won the election, it was a surreal moment for me. I was dumbstruck. My faith in democracy took a serious beating.

But the Malaysian GE14 won some of it back. It was a victory not just for the underdog represented by a party of about one year old, but led by an old dog whose bite, with gums and all, just does not want to let go. 

Democracy was supposed to be for, with and by the people. And now, with the victory, it is also "to the people". It has in other words returned to the people and their collective effort deserves a standing ovation. 

Malaysians, the people across the causeway are proud of your spirit of unity, courage and renewed hope.

Today, you have shown us what it means when one say: "Don't play play with democracy because one vote is merely a drop but millions voting together is an ocean, and the oceanic force of the people's will cannot be ignored."

And...finally,

3) The People.

I have a colleague who left on Tuesday to return to her home country to vote. She told me that it is important to make the trip to be counted. 

Then, in her Facebook today, she wrote:-

"It feels like Hari Raya, Deepavali, CNY and Christmas rolling in at the same time."

I share her buoyant spirit.

Mr Khairy, from the BN camp, said this: "Malaysians have spoken. And the people's voice is sacred. Good luck, Malaysia and thank you to all voters for carrying out your responsibility to the nation."

And my colleague formed one of that sacred voice of the nation. 

Surely, the sacredness of the voice is that you guys did not let cronyism get away. You did not let greed get away. You did not let corruption get away. You did not let lies get away. You did not let bots get away. 

Neither phantom voters got away. No hypocrisy goes unpunished under your watch. 

As John Adams once said: "Is there such rage for Profit and Commerce that we no longer have public Virtue enough to support a Republic"?

Today, or last night, you have shown that there is enough public Virtue in the will of the people to support a democratic Republic based on the oceanic unity of the nation. Kudos! Cheerz.