NAJIB Razak stays popular as a politician even after the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction on charges of corruption, political observers said.

They said Najib now finds himself in a position requiring that he consolidates power to stay out of jail.

Najib, who has been embroiled in several criminal cases, has only grown even more popular and is expected to remain so, they added.

Professor James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said Najib is well aware of the need to maintain power in view of the myriad of charges he is facing.

“He has to (make sure he remains) a member of parliament because he understands that the only way out of jail for him is to maintain political power,” Chin told The Malaysian Insight.

“People often forget that this is just one of many trials he’s facing. Even if he gets out of this one, he may get into trouble with the others.

“The only way for him to get out of this is to consolidate political power. He must remain a major political player and if the opportunity arises, I’m sure he wants to get back into the office of the prime minister.

The Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the High Court’s conviction of Najib and his sentence of 12 years in jail and a fine of RM210 million.

In upholding the decision, the three-member bench chaired by Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil called Najib a “national embarrassment”.

The court also said Najib’s defence that the RM42 million was a donation from the Saudi royal family was a concoction.

Karim said Najib chose to close his eyes regarding the origin of the money but had had no problems using the funds.

The Court of Appeal has granted Najib a stay of execution pending his appeal to the Federal Court.

Chin said Najib’s supporters are unperturbed by the court decision.

“Najib has always been strategic and clever about his public persona. Very early on, even before he lost the election, he was already hiring consultants to package himself for the social media market.

“If you look at the social media followers in Malaysia, he has the largest number of followers. Even though in the last few years he has been mired in all these legal troubles, that has not stopped his social media following from gaining rather than losing numbers.”

Playing victim

International Islamic University of Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said Najib will continue to paint himself as a victim.

“This will be his grand narrative from now on. There are gullible Malaysians who will support him.”

“He’s now trying to play down the severity of his case by insinuating there are other ‘national embarrassments’ bigger than his.

“His personal feudal persona still appeals to a segment of the Malay population. In addition, his ‘rempit’ Bossku persona also appeals to the youth.

“He’ll probably remain popular by blaming others for his predicament,” Tunku Mohar said.

Political analyst Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said the court decision will spoil Najib’s plan to return to the prime minister’s office.

“The appellate affirmation of Najib’s SRC convictions takes a bit of the steam out of his recent attempt at fast-tracking his political comeback,” Oh said.

Oh added that if the Federal Court upholds the decision of the High Court or if Najib does not get a pardon from the king, he cannot legally stand for election, which means he can’t make a comeback as PM.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister, however, warned that Malaysia may yet set a record of having a convict as a prime minister.

“Even those who have been found guilty for lesser crimes have been denied a stay of execution. Najib may have to wait a year or two until the Federal Court hears his appeal.

“In that time, he is free to be as he is. While he is free, he can still be a lawmaker and he can still contest in GE15.

“If he wins, he can be an MP and maybe even the prime minister. The law does not say he can’t.

“Praise be to God. Malaysia may create a record once again for having a convicted criminal as the prime minister,” he said sarcastically.

‘Political persecution’

Supporters of Najib, however, believe the Pekan MP is a victim of persecution and are holding on to hope that the Federal Court will clear his name.

Umno Shah Alam division chief Azaari Shaari said the grassroots are aggrieved by the court decision.

They are however hopeful that Najib will be vindicated by the Federal Court.

“The grassroots are disappointed in the court’s decision. It was as though they didn’t take into account any of the points brought up by the defence team in terms of witness statements; they just brushed it all aside.

“I think we will have a chance again in the Federal Court. We hope the new evidence mentioned can help at the appeal stage,” he said.

Najib’s lawyers yesterday asked for the hearing to be postpone so that the defence could introduce new evidence but the court dismissed the application.

Azaari said the court decision was politically motivated and an attempt at destroying Najib’s political future.

He said Najib has proved himself to be a formidable opponent to those who have decided to take him on.

“He has contributed a lot to by-elections and state elections due to his popularity.

“This trial (SRC) also took a long time to conclude; the judge could be someone appointed during the time of Pakatan Harapan or Perikatan Nasional so we cannot blame Ismail Sabri Yaakob as he was not involved, he has only just brrn made prime minister.

Terengganu Umno Uouth chief Tengku Haphiz Tengku Putera said although the grassroots are let down by the decision, it is proof there has been no political meddling in the case.

“Before this, it was played up that Najib could get off because of Umno, but this shows that the prime minister has allowed the judiciary to make its own decision even though that decision is unfair towards Najib,” he said.

The grassroots will still respect the court decision, he added.

“We will respect whatever decision the court makes and we will prepare ourselves for any outcome,” Tengku Haphiz said.

“Pemuda Umno will continue to throw our support behind Najib, to bring this case to the Federal Court.”  – December 9, 2021.