Najib's house arrest stirs voter concerns as BN-PN alliance faces test at Melaka polls

Detailed summary

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s conditional pardon has sparked concerns over preferential treatment, but analysts say the strengthening BN-PN alliance may prove more decisive…

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s conditional pardon has sparked concerns over preferential treatment, but analysts say the strengthening BN-PN alliance may prove more decisive in the Melaka polls.

MELAKA: Cendol stallholder Albert was taken aback when he read that former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak would be allowed to serve the remainder of his first prison sentence under house arrest.

"I was shocked and couldn't believe that it was actually happening. I don't think normal Malaysians or other convicts would have been offered this privilege," said Albert, who operates his eatery in Melaka's historic town centre and wanted to be known only by his first name.

The businessman, who is in his 40s, acknowledged that ordinary citizens had little say in the decision. But with Melaka heading to the polls on Saturday (Nov 14), he believed voters could still make their feelings known.

"We can't change these decisions; it is the prerogative of the king. But what we can do is to register this (dissatisfaction) on polling day," he said.

Najib, who was convicted in a corruption case involving SRC International, a former subsidiary of state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), was granted a conditional royal pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest should he pay his RM50 million (US$12.3 million) fine.

Najib’s move from Kajang Prison to his home in Kuala Lumpur’s upmarket Taman Duta neighbourhood - which happened in the heat of campaigning for Melaka's state election - has thrust the former premier back into the political spotlight, reigniting debate over unequal treatment under the law and sparking a fresh round of political recriminations.

Some voters CNA spoke to said the controversy could influence their choices at the ballot box, particularly among those frustrated by what they perceive as preferential treatment for Malaysia's political elite.

The fallout has also exposed divisions within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s…

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