In England centuries ago travel between towns meant either on horseback for the young and fit or by horse drawn coach for other travellers. Such travel was expensive and it was certain that those able to move about would have substantial funds in their possession.

That state of affairs gave rise to a type of criminal known as highwaymen. On horseback and armed with guns they would hijack coaches, rob the occupants of all they possessed and even, in some cases murder them.

The highway robbery scenario is being repeated once more; this time in Malaysia today. Now the robbers do not ride horses but park their gross behinds in ministerial armchairs. For supplicants to get what they want, for example fat contacts, they have to locate the minister responsible, do what is necessary to get a written instruction to the government department concerned to give the contract to “bearer” and, of course, pay the necessary fee which can be in the form either of ringgit or political support, or both.

A prime example of this can be seen in Sarawak Report and all Malaysians can be sure that what is corrupt at the top rots down to the lowest levels of  present day “highwaymen” Will MACC take note and act? Ordinary Malaysians wait to see,