THERE are some interesting exchanges between the pro-Madani camp and the opposition faction over how incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak was able to pay his last respect to his late predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the latter’s state funeral on Tuesday (April 15).
It all started when Madani government backer Farhan Zulkefly (@farhanzulkefly) erroneously claimed in his post on X that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has given Najib an opportunity to do so despite Najib having prevented PMX from attending the funeral of the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat (TGNA) in February 2015.
“Today, Anwar Ibrahim has proven that he has a big heart while practicing the politics of kindness,” the digital creator praised PMX.
Anwar beri peluang kepada Najib ziarah Pak Lah, walaupun ketika Najib berkuasa, Anwar dihalang hadir ke pengebumian arwah Tuan Guru Nik Aziz.
Hari ini Anwar Ibrahim buktikan beliau sangat berjiwa besar dan amalkan politik ihsan. pic.twitter.com/3790GKfoKP
— Farhan Zulkefly (@farhanzulkefly) April 15, 2025
This was when a seemingly opposition-slant commenter chided the poster that Najb was then the sixth premier (2009-2018) while PMX “was a nobody during the demise of TGNA”.
Another curious netizen was made to wonder shouldn’t the prison warden be the one to give the green light on the matter?
One commenter went on to remand the poster that PMX was allowed to return home for “almost five hours and not 15 minutes” when his father passed away on April 5, 2015.
As for PMX being unable to pay his last respect for TGNA, a commenter attributed the matter to “logistical security constraints to transport a high-profile prisoner who has been imprisoned for just two days to Kelantan” (PMX was sent to jail on Feb 10, 2015 while TGNA died on Feb 12, 2015).
The tug-of-war between two political factions went on till one commenter revealed that Najib had obtained permission from the Kuala Lumpur High Court to leave prison temporarily to attend the funeral proceedings.
Apparently, lead defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Najib, 72, has been given clearance by Judge Datuk Colin Lawrence Sequerah to temporarily leave his 1MDB trial to pay his last respects to the late Pak Lah.
At the end of the day, it was aptly pointed out that there is no merit “to politicise or to showcase there is no grudge or who is compassionate and who is not” on matters pertaining to death of good souls like Pak Lah and TGNA. – April 17, 2025
Main image credit: Najib Razak/Facebook
