AMID the Umno leadership crisis and criminal charges he faces, former president Najib Razak found a second breath of life during the Cameron Highlands by-election campaign.

His five days on the campaign trail for the parliamentary polls appeared to have relegated other Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders to second rung.

“This is me. When I was prime minister, it was difficult to move freely and spend time with voters,” he told The Malaysian Insight during the campaign.

“After I stopped being prime minister, voters began to appreciate the nine years I was PM.

“Their minds have opened up, and now, they see me from a different perspective,” said the 65-year-old, reminiscing about his time in office.

Among all the Umno leaders, Najib’s presence was the most keenly felt in the run-up to polling day yesterday, with the Pekan MP turning up for functions in Malay-majority Jelai and dropping in on residents from Tanah Rata’s mainly Chinese and Indian communities.

Najib was more active in the Cameron Highlands by-election compared with the other four by-elections held since the 14th general election. He made several appearances during the Sg Kandis polls, but his reception there was tame in comparison.

“There were some mistaken views about his participation in the Sg Kandis campaign. But now, people know that Najib is still popular and has supporters,” said Umno Supreme Council member and Najib loyalist Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.

“Wherever he went, there was a lot of support. We hope that Najib will continue to support BN and help the coalition recover.”

Najib’s campaign stops eclipsed even acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan’s, who should have been leading the troops from the front.

Tajuddin dismissed the matter, saying it should not be viewed negatively.

“Najib is helping us now. So, why should we turn that into an issue?” said the Pasir Salak MP.

Also of note is the fact that Najib – with one exception, when he wore a BN T-shirt – never used the pact’s flags or logos as he stumped in Cameron Highlands.

It appeared as though his presence may have been largely catered to revamping his image, and included a new slogan, “Malu Apa Bossku?” (Why should my boss be ashamed?). Everywhere he went, Najib was greeted with shouts of “Welcome, my boss”. 

Inadvertently or not, Najib also became Pakatan Harapan’s target of attacks during the campaign instead of the BN candidate and eventual winner, Ramli Mohd Nor.

Google Trends showed that searches for Najib far exceeded those for the BN and PH candidates during the campaign period from January 12 to 26. – January 27, 2019.