IT was a decisive victory for the rule of law when the Federal Court affirmed that former prime minister Najib Razak was indeed guilty of power abuse, criminal breach of trust and money laundering and sent him to jail.

What was even more assuring is that the three guilty verdicts from the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court were delivered under an Umno government.

Any worry of judicial interference were put to rest. Many had been uncertain that Najib would be penalised for his crimes.

They were justified in feeling sceptical. Historically, in Malaysia, the executive had exerted influence over the judiciary.

The unceremonious removal of Lord President of the Supreme Court, Tun Salleh Abbas in 1988 by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad remains a mark on the judiciary record.

This is why it is important that justice was not only done but was seen to be done in the case of Najib.

It affirms the principle of justice for all regardless of one’s status and wealth and charts a course towards a independent judiciary, whose image has been deeply wounded since 1988.

On the political side, some could say Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s non-interference is by design. He is letting the judiciary to do the dirty work for him. But the question remains of why Umno still chooses to stand by Najib, whose involvement in the 1MDB scandal had led to the electoral defeat of Barisan Nasional in 2018.

Umno has never been afraid to jettison its leaders for the sake of winning elections.

However, it failed to deal with Najib’s malfeasance, which doomed the party to defeat in the 2018 general election.

A failure to make a clean break from the jailed Najib could cost the party more votes this time around.

Both the party president and deputy president have criticised the decision of the Federal Court to reject Najib bid adduce new evidence to the trial. Some of the Umno leaders even went as far as to question the the judges’ fitness to adjudicate proceedings.

The Umno president has remained steadfast in his support for Najib and there are murmurings among the Umno rank and file to pressure the prime minister to overturn the guilty verdict.

Instead of setting out to win Putrajaya, the party appears to be bent on proving Najib’s innocence at all costs. The push for a snap election now seems to be a move for power to facilitate a pardon for him.

In times of inflationary pressure, Malaysians demand of its poltiicians policies towards resolution.  They are not interested in a political party absorbed in ensuring the liberty of its president.

Umno’s solidarity towards Najib Razak might appease the party’s rank and file but it would not have delivered them the fence sitters’ votes that are required to win an election.

Continued association with Najib will cost Umno the credibility to talk about transparency and clean governance.

The feud between the PM and Najib supporters within Umno has undoubtedly caused an internal rift, which does not bode well for the party’s electoral prospects.

Is Najib a hill worth dying on for Umn?

The entire affair has been nothing but beneficial for Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional.

If Umno continues to shield its president, who is also facing corruption charges, and Najib, the party may just be presenting its opponent with more than a fighting chance in the general election. – August 27, 2022.

* Kenneth Cheng has always been interested in the interplay between human rights and government but more importantly he is a father of two cats, Tangyuan and Toufu. When he is not attending to his feline matters, he is most likely reading books about politics and human rights or playing video games. He is a firm believer in the dictum “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.