UMNO eyes political revival amid Najib Razak 1MDB verdict - Analyst says

UMNO may seize the recent legal developments surrounding former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to strengthen party cohesion and reignite momentum as Malaysia approaches the 16th General Election, according to political analyst Dr Azmi Hassan.

Speaking to The Vibes, the senior fellow at Academy Nusantara observed that the party’s leadership could leverage the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) verdict to rally its base and bolster internal solidarity.

“Particularly as party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously indicated that UMNO intends to contest GE16 independently,” Dr Azmi said.

He further noted that, while UMNO is currently cooperating with Pakatan Harapan (PH), Zahid has insisted that any future alliance would exclude the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

Yesterday, Najib, 72, who served as Malaysia’s Prime Minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty on all 21 counts of money laundering linked to the 1MDB scandal. The High Court ruling in Putrajaya confirmed that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, marking a historic verdict against a former head of government.

Najib was convicted for receiving US$681 million (approximately RM2.08 billion) from a 1MDB subsidiary, issuing cheques, and transferring funds that were ultimately diverted for personal and political purposes.

Dr Azmi remarked that the Najib case has increasingly been framed in political terms as a contest between UMNO and DAP, a narrative likely to mobilise UMNO supporters.

“It would be inaccurate to say UMNO is weakening,” he said, adding that with a focused strategy, the party leadership could revive morale and reinforce the notion of contesting the next election independently.

He suggested that presenting Najib as a victim of political persecution could become a powerful tool for mobilisation. “From the party’s perspective, both UMNO and Najib see themselves as casualties of high-level political manoeuvring,” Dr Azmi explained.

“The setbacks related to the addendum issue and the 1MDB case have reinforced a belief within the party that there are broader political calculations at play, positioning UMNO and Najib as targets rather than perpetrators,” he added.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) also commended the investigative officers and prosecution team behind the complex, protracted 1MDB investigation, following the court’s ruling. MACC chief Azam Baki described the verdict as the culmination of tireless work dating back to July 2015.

“I wish to congratulate my investigating officers and the prosecution team who worked tirelessly from the very beginning of the 1MDB investigation, which commenced in July 2015, until its completion in the Court’s decision delivered today,” he said.

He highlighted the extraordinary dedication demonstrated by MACC personnel in gathering evidence domestically and abroad.

The investigative process involved extensive coordination with multiple foreign authorities, including the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ), the United Kingdom’s International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC), the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department, and relevant agencies in the Netherlands and Barbados.

Meanwhile, on the legal proceedings, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said: “I must admit, Judge Colin (referring to presiding High Court Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah) did a fine job in finding the guilty verdict.

“But as an ordinary Umno member, I must say I am disappointed with leaders like Azalina (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said) and Zahid Hamidi (UMNO President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi). They were the ones who told us that the donations from the Saudis were genuine.

Zahid even did a press statement about his meeting with key members of the Saudi family to clarify that the money given to Najib was theirs.

“But Justice Colin demolished all that.”

Zaid added: “So Najib stays in Kajang for a long time, for telling a lie, and Zahid and Azalina remain as Ministers for the same thing.” - December 27, 2025