PH unlikely to lose support over Najib house arrest, says analyst

Political analyst Azmi Hassan believes Pakatan Harapan (PH) will not lose support at upcoming elections over the conditional pardon granted to former Prime Minister Najib Razak. He stated that PH supporters would understand the roles played by DAP's Hannah Yeoh, the federal territories minister, and PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister.

Both Anwar and DAP have consistently demanded justice and accountability over the 1MDB financial scandal, and Yeoh conveyed a position consistent with the party's principles while fulfilling her responsibilities as a member of the Federal Territories Pardons Board.

The political damage to PH is likely to be minimal, and the RM50 million condition attached to Najib's house arrest could also satisfy supporters on both sides of the political divide. Umno supporters, who are generally pleased with the house arrest, are also happy about the RM50 million fine being imposed. However, University of Tasmania academic James Chin argues that the conditional pardon could carry a significant political cost for Anwar and DAP, as Najib's case is fundamentally different from other corruption cases due to the scale of the corruption involved.