Déjà vu in 2025

The papers are doing re-runs about the inner workings of the biggest scam of the century, as told to the court by Najib and Co 

HAVE you been reading the news lately? 

If you are one of the few still reading newspapers in 2025, you may have been experiencing déjà vu — and see things that you swear you have seen happen before. Like my friend did. 

Amir, a tour guide, looked up from an actual newspaper, made from paper, that he had been scrutinising for the past half hour or so and said he couldn’t believe it. 

“Look, I swear I’ve read these same stories before the Covid, and the suits. I had to check that it was today’s paper,” he said. 

“Back then, there were a lot of people saying they didn’t know how it happened. And look it’s the same today.” 

It’s ok, I told him, we are not hallucinating. The papers are really running re-runs about the inner workings of the biggest scam of the century, as told to the court by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak, former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy and other characters entangled in the case.

They plundered so much money out of 1MDB, that one trial wasn’t enough to prosecute those responsible.

Even the infamous “Mr Fixit” Jho Low is mentioned in the papers today. 

Najib, who was serving a jail term and fine for his conviction in a previous 1MDB trial, is currently in court to answer more charges related to billions of ringgit taken from 1MDB. 

“Yes, I remember that. Why is he still making a trail up and down the courts again?” 

It’s a different trial bro, I said, same 1MDB but different charges. “Yes different, trial but the show sure looks the same.

“All the people responsible for looking after the billions of ringgit that were raised using 1MDB ‘sovereign fund’ gilt-edged status, are claiming they don’t know anything, same as in the other trial.” 

Najib and other familiar names from 1MDB are back in court, saying things that gave us nightmares we thought we had left behind years ago. 

Some of the tall tales we read in the papers about the trial are truly, how do we say it, incredible. 

Anyway, I asked Amir, where did you get that paper? And why are you reading it? 

“I’ve just come back, and thought I’d catch up on this addendum thing.” 

He’s been catching bits and pieces of that news from France, where he’s been for the last three weeks taking holiday-makers around. 

“What’s going on?” 

What’s going on? There’s been a commotion over a missing note from the previous King, but it turned out it wasn’t missing at all. You would think an important letter from a King would not be misplaced now, would you? “Well, that’s what happens when things aren’t handled transparently. Now the entire situation has been blown out of proportion,” Amir said.

“I get the feeling everybody knew but they did not want us to know.” Oh, you mean that note suggesting that Najib should spend his prison sentence, or what’s left of it, in the comfort of his own bed? I said. 

“Yes, that’s the one.” 

Amir said Najib even looks the same in the current court pictures, unless they have used file pictures. 

No, I don’t think they’re old file pictures and the same suits. 

He must have a closet full of them, and won’t have to wear the same suit twice. 

But that is another thing that I need to know, said Amir. 

He always turns up all dressed up and all. Who irons his shorts in prison? 

I said I don’t know but in the American movies, there is always one convict who is treated above the others. 

And other convicts do stuff like washing his shirts and cutting his hair and all. The top convict would pay them in cigarettes. 

“You think so?,” he said but then pointed to the newspaper. 

“Hey look, a lorry accident.” 

  • ZB Othman is an editor of The Malaysian Reserve.

  • This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition

RELATED ARTICLES

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Bicycles are the new toilet paper

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

A ham by any other name

Monday, January 29, 2024

Our collective shame

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Hair-raising thought

Monday, November 27, 2023

Tuning in the news on TikTok

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Let us celebrate mutual dependency