KUALA LUMPUR – Muda has expressed its sharp disapproval at any attempt to grant disgraced former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence, a pardon.
The party’s central executive committee said the Pardons Board should reject the application to get Najib out of jail, adding that it is the party’s official stand to object to any manoeuvre to save any kleptocratic individual.
“We would like to explain that this is the party’s official stand and not the individual opinion of anyone in the party.
“And we don’t intend to apologise over this stance,” it said in a statement today.
Muda said if a pardon is granted, it will send the wrong signal to Malaysians, particularly as Najib had already been found guilty of a total of seven different charges.
It added that any pardon on Najib just mere months after he began serving his sentence would give an indication that any individual with influence and connection need not be worried about the law.
“Will common citizens who have been found guilty of the same crime also be given this privilege?
“Muda will continue to fight against any movement that wants to save kleptocrats, including quarters that attempt to challenge the integrity of the country’s judiciary.”
The question of Najib’s possible pardon has been the subject of much debate lately, with leaders from the unity government locking horns over the matter in recent weeks.
Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that he would be part of the Pardons Board listening to Najib’s application, but maintained there is no conflict of interest.
This is as the hearing for pardon applications will have to abide by due process, while the final decision will be made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he had said in response to an appeal filed by Umno to the king.
Najib began his 12-year sentence on August 23, 2022, after the Federal Court upheld his guilty verdict for his SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case. – The Vibes, May 1, 2023
