{
  "id": 11057844,
  "title": "Pengampunan bersyarat Najib tak padam sabitan mahkamah, Umno diberitahu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/pengampunan-bersyarat-najib-tak-padam-sabitan-mahkamah-umno-diberitahu",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T23:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/10/01/pengampunan-bersyarat-najib-tak-padam-sabitan-mahkamah-umno-diberitahu"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Umno must differentiate between support for Najib Razak's conditional pardon and sentencing remarks by the court, a political analyst said. They said sympathy for the former Umno president should not cloud judgments about the court's ruling or the party's political responsibilities concerning the leadership's accountability. Tawfik Yaakub from University Malaya said Umno is entitled to support Najib's pardon on constitutional and humanitarian grounds, but it cannot be presented as denying the court's sentencing. He told FMT, \"Umno can support Najib's pardon as a constitutional and humanitarian process, but it is not appropriate to depict it as a nullification or denial of the court's sentencing.\" According to him, support for Najib as an individual should not turn into a defense against misuse of power or financial malpractice. Najib has been imprisoned since August 2022 after the Federal Court upheld his conviction for misuse of power, breach of fiduciary duty, and embezzlement of public funds amounting to RM42 million belonging to SRC International. On September 18, he was granted conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, subject to paying a RM50 million fine and fulfilling certain conditions. Umno subsequently announced the establishment of a fund to assist its former president in paying the fine, with party leaders, members, and supporters encouraged to contribute voluntarily. Tawfik said the issue is not just whether the contributions are made voluntarily; Umno also needs to demonstrate concern for the impact of the case on the public and the nation's reputation. He said the party must explain that no public funds were used, while efforts to recover assets, claim damages, and reorganize management should continue. \"At the party level, Umno should not automatically absolve individual mistakes,\" he said. \"However, as a party that governed when the scandal occurred, Umno must make a political and moral acknowledgment that the leadership's negligence during that time cannot be repeated.\" Tawfik said some areas that need attention in the party's renewal include strengthening independence, tightening political financing, declaring assets, and implementing stricter oversight of state-linked companies. He said clearly separating the interests of the party, government, and the state is crucial to prevent similar issues from recurring. Meanwhile, Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) argued that Umno has not changed much in terms of culture and management since losing the National Front (BN) in the 2014 general election. \"The party's culture and management style are still old-fashioned,\" he said. However, Mazlan said Umno's position in the current government led by Anwar Ibrahim has forced the party to adapt to a more stringent environment emphasizing discipline and integrity. He said the Najib issue also highlighted the difference in perceptions between some Umno supporters, including rural Felda migrants, and other voter groups. According to him, some rural Malays, Felda migrants, and Umno members view support for Najib, including solidarity contributions, as humanitarian. However, he said some urban Malay middle-class and non-Malay voters view Najib's imprisonment as a matter of accountability for his mistakes, as decided by the court. Mazlan said as far as he knows, only a few high-profile Umno figures have openly admitted their mistakes and the negative impact of the scandal on the nation. However, he claims that most other party leaders continue to defend Najib and view him as a victim.",
  "summary": "Penganalisis berkata simpati terhadap bekas perdana menteri itu perlu dibezakan daripada sabitan mahkamah dan tanggungjawab politik Umno ketika menerajui kerajaan.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Najib’s conditional pardon does not erase conviction, Umno told",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/najibs-conditional-pardon-does-not-erase-conviction-umno-told",
        "published": "2026-09-30T23:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}