Is Najib’s out-of-the-blue “apology” a precursor to his house arrest or even full pardon?

The narrative is being carefully re-shaped to suggest that Najib – while perhaps guilty of poor judgment – was not malicious in his actions.

(Focus Malaysia) – INCARCERATED former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “apology” over the 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd) scandal – delivered via his son at the Kuala Lumpur court complex yesterday (Oct 25) – seems to have come out of nowhere. A burning question is: Why now?

With four criminal charges still hanging over him with a verdict slated on Oct 30 to determine if he must enter a defence, one can be forgiven for speculating that Najib’s sudden display of “deep sorrow” feels like it’s setting the stage for something else.

Let’s not beat around the bush. Najib has had no compelling reason to apologise at this point. For years, he has maintained his innocence – repeatedly framing himself as a victim of fugitive financier Jho Low’s schemes rather than a perpetrator.

Now, out of the blue, he’s suddenly “reflecting” on his time in prison and admitting that maybe he could have handled things differently.

It’s all a little too convenient and the timing of this apology is suspect, to say the least. Is this public display of remorse to set the ground for something else?

Could this be a precursor to his house arrest or even a full pardon – the latter something Bossku has been working on since his incarceration?

It certainly wouldn’t be the first time we have seen an orchestrated campaign to gradually whitewash a high-profile figure’s sins in Malaysia.

 

‘You scratch my back, I scratch yours’

The reality is that the Madani government has been under intense pressure from UMNO and its president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – who is himself under pressure from the party’s grassroots – to free Najib.

If Zahid, despite facing 47 corruption charges could now walk free, why not Najib? The timing is just too suspicious.

Najib’s statement leaned heavily on recent developments such as the convictions of PetroSaudi executives in Switzerland and an article by The Edge that supposedly exonerates him from being a mastermind of the 1MDB debacle.

Isn’t it curious how he cherry-picks these events to paint himself as the clueless former leader who was simply “advised” into believing that billions of ringgit funnelled into his accounts were political donations from Saudi Arabia?

The narrative is being carefully re-shaped to suggest that Najib – while perhaps guilty of poor judgment – was not malicious in his actions.

As for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, it’s disappointing to see how this saga is unfolding under his administration.

For someone who once stood as a symbol of reform, PMX’s Madani government is increasingly looking like just another iteration of the old Barisan Nasional (BN) order.

The mere fact that Najib is even in a position to potentially receive a pardon speaks volumes about PMX’s resolve (or lack of) to reform and fight corruption.

Recall that PMX has even ‘slipped in’ a new law that will be drafted by the government to allow prisoners to serve their jail sentences under house arrest in his Budget 2025 speech a week ago today (Oct 18).

Is the Madani government more interested in appeasing Zahid and UMNO so that PMX can stay in power than in holding to account those responsible for one of the world’s largest financial scandals?

Najib’s carefully scripted “apology” might just be the final act before he soon turns his back on the Kajang prison where he’s serving time.

And once again, Malaysians are left to wonder if there’s any real hope for reform – or if this is just another case of more of the same in the halls of power.