COMMENT | 10 reasons why Najib must stay in jail

COMMENT | The question of home detention for convicted former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak was raised again, this time in an interview titled “In Conversation With Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim” held in Qatar.

Anwar indicated that while he considers the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision on this as final, but if he was asked, he would advise the Agong to wait until Najib’s ongoing trials are completed.

That’s a good line to take, but to say it is the Agong who decides the final outcome may not be right.

We practise parliamentary democracy with constitutional monarchy. The Federal Constitution in Article 40(1) says the Agong acts on advice except where it is provided otherwise. Pardons are not listed as one of the functions where he can exercise his discretion.

The Pardons Board, headed by the Agong, has...