FORMER prime minister Najib Razak might still be able to pull in crowds wherever he goes but it is difficult to see this translating into support for Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Malacca elections,  voters and political observers said.

Nevertheless, his efforts in campaigning for BN, despite not holding any official position, are an investment in a possible bid to return to political leadership in the future.

The Malaysian Insight spoke to several voters who said that, while Najib might still be influential among Malays, there are concerns about the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak and voter fatigue over one political drama after another at the national level.

Lawyer Cassian Anthony from Bukit Beruang said he witnessed the effect Najib, or his more-popular moniker Bossku, still has on people, drawing crowds to one of visits to Malacca.

“I believe that no matter what he does, he can pull the crowd and I witnessed this first hand when he came here.

“Yet I’m not sure if he can bring people out to vote. Voters are already fatigued with politics and with the pandemic,” the 29-year-old lawyer said.

Political observers are of the view that a successful outing for Umno-BN in the Malacca polls could lead to Najib making a comeback in the party leadership, despite his conviction last year in a graft case involving SRC International funds.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million, but the former prime minister and Umno president is appealing.

On October 22, Najib applied to the court hearing more graft charges involving 1MDB for a delay on his trip to Singapore, saying he had to oversee Umno’s preparations for the Malacca elections.

However, the Umno Supreme Council on October 28 said that party deputy president Mohamad Hasan would lead the party in election preparations.

BN will contest in all of Malacca’s 28 seats, with Umno taking 20, MCA seven, and MIC one. The filing of nominations was held yesterday and polling day is November 20.

Although Mohamad is leading the party’s charge in the Malacca polls, Najib proceeded with a tour of Umno seats on October 30 and 31, meeting constituents at stalls and on his walkabouts.

This past weekend, too, saw Najib visiting Sg Rambai in Malacca’s Jasin district, and he posted on Facebook photos of himself eating at cafes and meeting people.

Political analyst and professor of Asian Studies James Chin at Tasmania University said Najib – who headed Umno until the party lost federal power in the 2018 general election – is still a brand name with a strong following.

“He is seen as being part of the government (as Umno is a government party) even if he doesn’t hold any official position.

His continuing influence is partly because of a section of the Malay electorate that still believes he is innocent, Chin added.

“We don’t know whether these people will come out to vote or sit silently. For those who still remember the 1MDB scandal (and how Najib was involved), the Covid-19 epidemic is now the bigger worry,” Chin said.

Meanwhile, International Islamic University of Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar, said Najib’s influence in Malacca is only in certain areas and among certain people who still believe he is innocent.

“He’s popular among some segments of the Malay voters, the gullible ones, and may draw support among this group.

“Najib is trying to reinvent himself. He’s now trying to play victim and accuse the former Pakatan Harapan (PH) government of persecuting him.”

Even if people haven’t forgotten the 1MDB scandals, Tunku Mohar said the court process is likely to be too complicated for most people to understand, and because of this, they are willing to give Najib the benefit of the doubt.

“They would think that since he can still defend himself, let the court decide on the cases.”

Anthony, the lawyer from Bukit Beruang, agreed that Najib has been able to paint a positive picture of himself, despite his court cases.

He holds no official position within Umno or BN, other than being the coalition’s adviser and the Pekan MP, but knows how to stay in the limelight by being vocal on social media about government policies and the people’s welfare.

“People are somewhat in a conundrum now, because he is seen to be speaking up on people’s issues. Of course, there are people who have not forgotten about the 1MDB scandal.

“Yet, generally, Najib has been able to carve a better outlook for himself,” said Anthony.

Event manager Preshant Menon, 25, from Melaka Tengah, also agreed that Najib has a positive image despite his court conviction.

“I think he is definitely strong here. They also seem to think that Najib is a better leader than the previous ones.

“For example, Malacca has had flash floods and some people said they did not receive much aid, but they said during Najib’s time as prime minister they did.”

Nevertheless, Preshant is not swayed by Najib’s influence in the state.

“I still can’t believe that despite what happened, he is still walking around freely,” he said, referring to Najib’s conviction.

A businessman from Pantai Kundor, Mohd Hazreen Hamzah, 40, said Najib’s court cases were not a big issue with the locals.

“People are interested in who the candidate will be and how they are going to campaign, but people will still like it if Bossku comes here. They have forgotten all the old issues.”

However, he wondered how campaigning would be done now that the Health Ministry has banned physical gatherings.

“Now there is no campaigning. Anyway, senior citizens will usually support BN, they just need to see the logo. It is only the youths who are on the fence.”

Lawyer Ahmad Azri Adullah, 28, from Paya Rumput said that Najib’s influence only lies with his supporters from BN.

“There are huge crowds when he comes here only because he visits the BN strongholds. We have yet to see him in the city centre or PH-friendly constituencies.”

Azri also agreed that while people have not completely forgotten the 1MDB scandals, they are just less bothered about it now. – November 9, 2021.