NAJIB Razak’s application for a royal pardon will not be an election talking point for any parties in the forthcoming state elections, analysts said.

They said that Perikatan Nasional (PN) would not stand to gain by highlighting the issue, and neither would Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) be on the back foot.

They told The Malaysian Insight Najib had already been proven guilty, and the issue had been played up to the fullest by political parties in the last general election.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Dr Mazlan Ali explained that voters, especially fence sitters, would prefer to vote based on issues such as the high cost of living.

“The pardon issue is not the main concern. Najib is already in jail and has yet to serve half of his prison sentence. In the coming state elections, voters want to know what the government can do to help fix the economy.

“The issue of Najib has already been used many times in the last general election. The majority of PH and BN supporters have already accepted this.

“There is no significant impact on PH and BN or an advantage for PN,” he said.

Recently, PH party component Amanah had to apologise to Umno over a statement by communications director Khalid Samad, who appealed to the king to reject Najib’s pardon bid.

Najib is serving a 12-year prison sentence for money laundering, criminal breach of trust and abuse of power.

He was also fined RM210 million, which he has yet to pay.

The former Pekan MP has applied for a royal pardon after exhausting all other legal avenues to appeal his conviction.

Umno retaliated by labelling Amanah an untrustworthy ally.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim then told the press every convict has the right to appeal and apply for a royal pardon.

“Every single convicted person or prisoner has a right to appeal. We have to take into consideration the case and review it on a compassionate basis, professionally and without prejudice,” he said.

Veteran political observer Mohd Sayuti Omar mirrored Mazlan’s view by saying no party would benefit by playing up the pardon issue in the state elections.

“The pardons board in a statement has clearly said Najib’s appeal was not in its recent sitting, therefore this is a non-issue for now.

“Even PH or Umno will not get anything out of using the issue in their campaign. Parties contesting should try and speak about current issues,” the author of several political books said.

Pardons Board secretary Khairul Dzaimee Daud on Tuesday said Najib’s application for a royal pardon was not discussed in the meeting, which convened on April 28 at the Istana Negara.

The board said the application will be discussed at an appropriate time, according to applicable legislation and regulations.

Possible dent in Pakatan-BN ties

Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar however believes the issue would lower the chances of winning and cooperation between PH and BN.

He said if the matter is allowed to be debated publicly, PH and BN will have a tough time battling PN for Malay majority seats.

“This fight between Amanah and Umno can spoil their chances of winning. For example in Kelantan, Umno voters may find it hard to vote for Amanah after what Khalid Samad said about Najib.

“PH has to state its stand on this matter clearly and if this is allowed to continue, PH and BN will have a hard time challenging PN for Malay seats,” he said.

Following Khalid’s statement on Najib’s royal pardon, Kelantan Umno last week said that the party is ready to cut ties with Amanah.

Kelantan Umno information chief Zawawi Othman said the state division would consider not working with Amanah for the coming state election should Khalid, who is also interim Kelantan Amanah chairman, refuse to retract his statement.

Khalid has since apologised to Umno, saying his previous remark was not an attack or criticism of Umno, but rather a difference of opinion.

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said his party’s members may express their personal views about Umno’s petition on behalf of Najib, but these were not representative of Amanah’s, which was bound by PH’s broader stance. – May 5, 2023.