PUTRAJAYA will benefit if former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is granted a royal pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, said an analyst.
According to National Council of Professors senior fellow Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir, the reality is that Najib is still very influential and popular especially among the Malays, adding that the former Pekan MP could even be “more popular than UMNO”.
“If the unity government needs Malay support, they cannot ignore the Najib factor,” he was quoted as saying by FMT in response to several online opinion polls on whether Najib should be granted a royal pardon.
More than 150,000 people had signed a petition urging the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to not grant Najib a royal pardon, according to electoral watchdog Bersih.
Other petitions in support of the Agong granting the former Pekan MP clemency have received between 19,000 and 35,000 signatures.
According to Jeniri, the unity government has more to gain from riding on Najib’s popularity than it stands to lose.
“Especially on the Malay front, he’s well-liked and he’s not as divisive as UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,” he was quoted as saying by FMT.
“In the case of the non-Malays and urbanites who form the bulk of PH supporters, I don’t foresee them ditching PH because the alternative would be to vote for PAS and Bersatu.”
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Prof Dr Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid believes that granting Najib a royal pardon would damage the unity government’s image.
“The results from the opinion polls show that those who favour Najib’s release are far outnumbered by those who do not. The impression that Najib is popular among the grassroots ignores the silent majority,” he told the news portal, adding that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s image would also be affected.
Ahmad Fauzi reiterated that UMNO should first reform from the inside out, while Putrajaya must remain on its path of nation-building and institutional reform.
“UMNO cannot continue being the Achilles’ heel of the unity government,” he said. – April 11, 2023
Main pic credit: Alamy Stock Photo
