14 years later, ex-detainee repays Malaysia’s Najib for life-changing second chance

Sunny Seow, a former tofu pudding seller from Malaysia, has offered to donate 10,000 ringgit (approximately US$2,452) to assist former Prime Minister Najib Razak with his 50 million ringgit fine. Seow's gift is a personal repayment of gratitude for the second chance Najib provided to him 14 years ago. In 2012, Seow was released early from detention in Manjung, Perak state, after seeking help from a local village chief and receiving a notification from the home ministry.

This early release allowed Seow to care for his elderly parents and start anew. Seow went on to rebuild his life by establishing a small business selling tofu pudding. He expressed that seeing Najib yearning to return home to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest reminded him of his own situation 14 years prior.

Seow stated that his 10,000 ringgit contribution symbolizes the profits from selling 10,000 bowls of tofu pudding and is not politically motivated. He clarified that his gesture is merely an act of repayment for the kindness he received in the past and expressed his willingness to do his part in repaying the favor. The donation comes as Malaysia's King granted Najib a "conditional pardon" last Friday, which requires the former leader to settle his fine before he can return to his home and complete his sentence, which is set to end on August 23, 2028.

Najib has been incarcerated at Kajang Prison in Selangor state since August 23, 2022, for misappropriating 42 million ringgit from a former unit of the state investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad.