Najib House Arrest Row Spills Onto Social Media

The delay to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest has spilled onto social media, with Threads users questioning Umno’s continued support for him, The Malaysia Press reported on Sunday (Nov 8).

Najib, 73, left Kajang Prison on Friday (Nov 6) afternoon after his lawyers delivered a Kuala Lumpur High Court order allowing him to serve the rest of his SRC International sentence under house arrest. He was taken back to Kajang Prison that night after the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said the move should be temporarily postponed pending legal clarification, Malay Mail reported.

Threads Users Question Umno’s Stand

According to The Malaysia Press, Threads users asked why Najib still has a place in Umno when the party should be promoting clean and credible new leaders.

One user, @msazmon, wrote that Najib had been populist since becoming prime minister and that his pursuit of fame and wealth led him to make a big mistake. Another, @naimazuan, said the issue reflected society’s low sensitivity to integrity and corruption.

The Star reported in an analysis on Sunday that the Chinese-language Facebook page of former Selangor DAP leader Datuk Teng Chang Khim was swamped with thousands of critical comments.

Palace Says Decree Is Clear

Istana Negara said on Saturday (Nov 7) that the King’s order allowing Najib to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest was clear and unambiguous, and that all conditions of the conditional pardon had been fulfilled. It said any attempt to challenge the order would amount to disobeying the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The AGC denied defying the pardon, saying it “does not in any way dispute, set aside or intend to suspend the Conditional Pardon Order”. It has sought an urgent court ruling on whether Najib’s SRC term remains in force or has legally ended, in which case his separate 15-year 1MDB sentence might begin.

Umno paid the RM50 million fine, a condition of the pardon granted on Sept 18, through the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund, according to Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

Politicians Trade Barbs

Umno Youth branches have lodged police reports against the Attorney-General for defying a royal decree, The Rakyat Post reported.

Parti Wawasan Negara vice-president Wan Saiful Wan Jan, speaking in Melaka on Saturday, said the Attorney-General should resign if he was not prepared to implement the decree, Sinar Harian reported. Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazali said his first thought on hearing of the AGC’s action was “treachery”, The Star reported.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke has said his resignation from the Cabinet will take effect “the minute Najib reaches home”.

Sources: The Malaysia Press, Malay Mail, The Star, The Rakyat Post, Sinar Harian

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