PAGOH: Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin tonight questioned the relevance of the Johor polls to a potential pardon for former prime minister Najib Razak, currently in prison for corruption.
“Najib has already been convicted,” said Muhyiddin, who was among the vocal critics of 1MDB 11 years ago.
Speaking at a ceramah in Gersik, Muhyiddin asked the crowd of over 70 people if they agreed with Najib being released from prison. They said “no”.
Muhyiddin also said that when he was deputy prime minister in Najib’s government, he had voiced concerns about 1MDB. Muhyiddin was subsequently dropped as the deputy prime minister in 2015.
Last night Najib’s son, Nazifuddin, claimed that a major win by Barisan Nasional in the Johor elections would signal that the people continue to support the former Pekan MP and hope to see him receive a royal pardon.
Najib, 72, is serving a six-year prison sentence in the SRC International case. His jail sentence is scheduled to end on Aug 23, 2028.
Separately, a PKR deputy secretary-general, Aidi Amin Yazid, said an election should not be a platform to reinterpret the law.
“A state election is aimed at determining who forms the next state government and not a referendum to a legal or personal matter,” Berita Harian quoted him as saying.
