Najib’s conditional pardon does not erase conviction, Umno told
Analysts say sympathy for Najib Razak must not obscure his conviction or Umno’s governance failures when in power.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak recently received a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, following his conviction in the SRC International case. Analysts believe that Umno must show its support for the pardon does not undermine the conviction or the checks and balances that were weak during Umno's time in power.
Universiti Malaya's Tawfik Yaakub emphasized that while Umno can support Najib's pardon as a humanitarian process, it should not be conflated with defending wrongdoings while in office. Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Mazlan Ali noted that despite Umno's recent changes under Anwar Ibrahim's unity government, the party's culture and governance have remained largely unchanged.
He acknowledged that the Najib issue highlights differing perceptions among Umno supporters, with some rural Malays and supporters viewing the assistance as humanitarian, while urban and non-Malay voters see Najib's sentence as justified due to the court's findings.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- Pengampunan bersyarat Najib tak padam sabitan mahkamah, Umno diberitahu freemalaysiatoday.com
