COMMENT | Najib's insincere apology
COMMENT | Saying “I’m sorry” in Malaysian politics and the public sphere is as rare as finding droppings from a rocking horse, but rarer still, is an apology accompanied by accountability and accepting responsibility.
The convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak may have apologised for mishandling the 1MDB scandal, but he still maintains his innocence. In other words, his apology is insincere, and as hollow as a puffed-up roti naan.
In Najib’s little world, the buck does not stop with the leader,...
COMMENT | Saying “I’m sorry” in Malaysian politics and the public sphere is as rare as finding droppings from a rocking horse, but rarer still, is an apology accompanied by accountability and accepting responsibility.
The convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak may have apologised for mishandling the 1MDB scandal, but he still maintains his innocence. In other words, his apology is insincere, and as hollow as a puffed-up roti naan.
In Najib’s little world, the buck does not stop with the leader, instead, blame is apportioned to those around him.
The timing for Najib’s apology is most interesting, but we had all been given one week’s warning. The fake apology was not accompanied by a tinge of remorse or regret.
Many Malaysians believe that the tiny revelation about introducing new laws for house arrest, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had introduced by stealth in the Budget 2025 speech, was a precursor of things to come.
Who would have thought that it was in the form of an apology? Najib’s 1MDB apology.
Uninspiring budget, but!
Budget 2025 on Oct 18 was most uninspiring and boringly predictable, but perhaps, there was an ulterior motive, which was to lull us to sleep.
The usual RM2 billion allocation to the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) was a farcical move. It is daft to “strengthen Islam” when no ulama, mufti or religious minister has thus far dared to gazette a single fatwa against corruption.
The biggest budget allocation (RM65 billion) went to the Education Ministry, but Anwar had omitted to replace his education minister.
So, we all happily dozed off during the budget and almost missed the prized announcement - the house arrest! Why should the “house arrest” be given space in a national budget?
Engineering return
Some people claim that Umno-Baru has been emasculated and that it lost power after the 14th general election, when its then president, Najib, was defeated. You think?
On May 10, 2018, the most corrupt political party known to Malaysians may have been dethroned by the rakyat, but after GE15, it formed a coalition with former allies who share the same political DNA.
Umno-Baru then went into “licking-its-wounds” mode, during which time it made preparations to fight and rule another day.
Simultaneously, the world’s worst kleptocrat was quietly engineering his return to normal life, probably to fulfil his wish to be crowned once more, as president of the party he once led.
In Malaysia, geriatric leaders are the norm. It’s a tiny step from party president to the ultimate prize, the office of the prime minister of Malaysia.
As PM, Najib will work hard to make up for lost time. Public office is about the three Ps - power, perks and prestige. Forget about people, principle and purpose. It’s all about the politician and his political life.
No remorse
Six years ago, he was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust, one charge of abusing his position over SRC’s (SRC International is a subsidiary of state fund 1MDB) funds and three counts of money laundering.
Two years in Kajang prison has given Najib plenty of time to reflect on his misdeeds.
However, he has not shown an ounce of remorse but still protests his innocence and claims to have been duped by Low Taek Jho and Petrosaudi executives.
In most civilised countries, leaders who have done wrong will resign, in shame, but they leave office of their own volition and most will apologise. Najib had to suffer a humiliating defeat at GE14 and he was unrepentant to the very end.
Remember when?
You probably recall his defiant stance when his final appeal ended in failure and he was sent to prison amid tearful scenes of his supporters.
To this day, his former cabinet colleagues, like the deputy prime minister, still maintain Najib’s innocence and are eager to have him released and pardoned.
To paraphrase former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad, “Melayu mudah lupa” (Malays forget easily). Didn’t Najib’s former cabinet swear that he did not lie about the Arab prince’s donation?
The deputy prime minister claimed to have met the Arab prince’s aides who donated the RM2.6 billion. Najib twice performed the sumpah laknat in a mosque.
A former attorney-general was removed from office just before he was to issue orders for Najib’s arrest. A former deputy prime minister, Mahiaddin Yassin, was also removed for asking too many questions about 1MDB.
National Audit Department (NAD) officer Nor Salwani Muhammad kept a recording of the 1MDB meeting of top 1MDB and NAD officials in February 2016 that resulted in two versions of the 1MDB audit report.
Those who wrote about the 1MDB scandals were jailed or had their websites blocked.
Unfair trial
Najib’s family is convinced that he did not receive a fair trial. They say he is innocent and one son has described him as the “Mandela” of Malaysia.
Other curious happenings possibly point to Umno-Baru’s return with a vengeance.
Umno-Baru’s president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and his youth leader Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, play the “good cop, bad cop” routine.
In by-elections, Umno-Baru gets the lion’s share of the candidates who are fielded.
DAP, the party with which PKR once felt comfortable working with appears to be sidelined and its leaders muted, either voluntarily or for reasons of their own.
Amanah may as well have been swallowed up by the cracks in the floor because few can detect their political presence.
Many political appointees in government agencies are pro-Umno-Baru. The latest is Najib’s daughter's appointment in Malaysia External Trade Development Cooperation.
Najib’s apology is just window dressing. His house arrest is imminent but nothing to be scared of. Just wait till he and the re-energised Umno-Baru return to rule over you.
You will have a greater choice at GE16. The Green Wave, its Madani version, or Najib. There is another solution, but most Malaysians are too timid to acknowledge it.
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, X.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
