The world has changed. The world has INDEED changed.
Who would have thought that 2011 cleansed the power of the world’s most powerful dictators: Ben Ali (Tunisia), Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Moammer Gadaffi (Libya) and Ali Abdullah Saleh (Yemen).
In each country, the dictator had enriched his own family and friends and left his people in poverty.
Ben Ali is now hiding in Saudi Arabia. His new government has convicted him of corruption and sentenced him to life imprisonment. His foreign wealth are now being reclaimed by the new Tunisian government. His natural days are numbered.
Hosni Mubarak is half-death, being bed-ridden, but is right now being wheeled in and out of court in bed to answer his corruption charge. The prosecutor is demanding death penalty for him.
Moammer Gadaffi was pulled out from a ditch by the road side by his own people. He was torture, beaten, sodomised (by someone sticking a gun into his butt) and finally murdered.
Ali Abdullah is stepping down in a few days time in February after survived from assassination. He is now pleading to his master, the USA, to force the Yemeni to spare him from prosecution in court. Will he succeed?
These are the tragic ends of once upon a time, great leaders of their respective countries. Leaders who were once much loved by their people.
Alas, greed and power overtook their consciences until all of them became corrupt tyrants and dictators and clang to their power not knowing when to leave gracefully; and not knowing the sufferings of their people because of their corruption.
Closer at home, we had corrupt dictators like Marcos, Roe Dae Woo, Suharto, Chen Sui Bien…Taib.
Taib was once loved by Sarawakians. But now,he is known as the Pay-him silly, Pencuri, Thief Minister, Buaya, Old Monkey, Old Fart, Corrupt Dictator… Public Enemy No.1.
Looking at the tragic ends of all the other corrupt dictators, the end of Taib will be similar and might not be that long now.
The bible says: “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, to God, what belongs to God.”
We can only say to Taib: “Give back to Sarawakians what belongs to Sarawakians”, before it is too late.
May the almighty God has mercy on you, Taib!!