LETTER | Will Najib ever admit his wrongdoings?

LETTER | The High Court decision on the SRC International case where it convicted former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak of all seven charges is a monumental outcome for the nation's road toward addressing the scourge of corruption in public sectors.

Najib was found guilty for abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust and three counts of money laundering totalling RM42 million from the Finance Ministry-owned firm SRC International Sdn Bhd between 2014 and 2015.

For this heinous crime, the former premier was handed out 12-year imprisonment and a total of RM210 million fine. The SRC trial is one of the many cases that stands out from the ongoing trial of the 1MDB corruption scandal involving several individuals, namely the 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kandasamy as well as former finance ministry secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah.

The question now is, will Najib admit to his wrongdoings despite the decision made in the SRC International case? Can he save any of his remaining dignity by admitting to the charges and resign to what fate holds in store for him?

Najib is, no doubt, a charismatic leader. A son of a former prime minister, he rose fast within the Umno political circle after he won the Pekan parliamentary seat left vacant by the sudden demise of his father, the late Abdul Razak Hussein.

Having the nobility within the Pahang royalty, Najib received the kind privileged that mostly reserved to them and as the then prime minister himself, he received the people’s support for many years to remain in power until the previous general election.

His trial is nothing short of the major showdown of a politician who struggles to remain relevant in the mainstream Malaysia politics, especially within the Malay majority.

BN party members still seek Najib’s advice on important party matters and he relentlessly mocks his political opponents, especially the Pakatan Harapan component party DAP with his political wisdom and sarcasm, mostly pointing out how incompetent the Harapan administration was during their 22 months in power.

He’s still being consulted for some of the decisions made by his political party and this was clearly shown in the recent Chini by-election where the candidate of his choice was fielded, and he led the campaign to its victory.

His “Bossku” moniker is clear evidence on how the public sees him regardless of his many charges for corrupt practise pending in courts. He continuously receives many supports wherever he goes and his presence within the social media is nothing short of remarkable by looking at how many followers he has on his Facebook and Twitter accounts. This opens another debate within our society on how we see corrupt leaders and the paramount we give to them.

The Najib aura is indeed the most revolting if not obnoxious. Here we have a man, a political leader whose expectation of the public is to uphold integrity, the rule of law, an exemplary leader of society and, above all, the beholder of the trust of public office that was imposed on him by the people who elected him to power. Yet, what he did was to betray that trust in every single imaginable way possible as reflected through the SRC International case.

He did not only smear the constitutional oath he took when he helmed the office of the prime minister, but he also put his personal interest above the interest of the nation.

Despite this, Najib will remain a significant force that needs to be reckoned with in the coming general election. The show of support that was seen when he arrived for his is not something ordinary, and the only event that could reminiscence this is the accolades given to the former Selangor menteri besar, the late Harun Idris when a host of people flocked to his house to prevent his arrest after the court found him guilty of corruption.

Najib will not give in without a formidable fight. The success of the next election is pivotal for him to remain in politics. He will continuously receive the support of the people as long as the opposition is continuously demonised as the culprit for the “false accusation” against him.

As a veteran politician, he knows that people will remain loyal to him if he continues to portray himself as the last man standing to defend the race and religion of his people. Therefore, Najib will never admit to any of the charges that have been filed against him and he will continue with his legal challenges to secure his innocence and his freedom.