MALAYSIANS are still anxiously waiting for Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to make his stand clear on whether disgraced former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak should be accorded the privilege of house arrest.

Currently, Najib is serving his sentence in the Kajang Prison for the crimes committed when he was the PM although the Pardons Board has halved his sentence.

In fact, there were attempts to go for a full pardon for Najib but was not successful. Somehow, the unity government had a role in this although Anwar washed his hands by claiming that it was the prerogative of the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA).

Since the days of the partial pardon announcement for Najib, there have been moves from UMNO leaders and others for Najib to be accorded house arrest.

Whether there is a legal provision called “house arrest” remains to be seen. Most legal experts think that there is no such thing as house arrest. Anyway, even if there is no legal provision, there is possibility that the provisions of house arrest can be invented in the “Bolehland” of ours.

Of course, Anwar washed his hands from the matter at first by saying that he did not want to interfere in the prerogatives of the YDPA.

A few days later in Qatar, he nevertheless responded to the questions posed by journalists that if the Agong had sought his opinion, he would have given the necessary advice on Najib’s house arrest.

He remarked that since he was an “expert on prison matters”, he would be in the know to give the right kind of advice to the YDPA.

Najib fighting his own battle

Meanwhile, it is not clear whether UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is going ahead with his affidavit to assist Najib’s legal team to ascertain the existence of a supplementary agreement by the former YDPA that Najib should be accorded the house arrest.

Having embedded in power, positions and perks, UMNO leaders might have lost their initial enthusiasm of freeing Najib either by a full pardon or by way of house arrest.

Basically, Najib has been left to himself, his lawyers and grassroots supporters across the country.

From what I understand, Najib and his family are counting less and less on the present UMNO leadership. There is fear that giving a full pardon to Najib or house arrest might complicate matters for the present divided UMNO leadership.

Not surprisingly, the return of Najib might not be favoured by some in the present UMNO leadership for obvious reasons.

Anwar’s wishy-washy stand on Najib might reflect the divided opinion in the UMNO leadership circles of whether Najib’s return might complicate matters for them.

In other words, UMNO - officially - wants a full pardon or even a house arrest for Najib. However, in the murky world of UMNO politics, Najib’s return might not be favoured by some especially those close to Anwar.

Anwar is certainly not a leader who has strong or firm views on matters of national importance. It is well-known that he has proclivity of saying different things to different audience. It is almost impossible to pin down Anwar.

On Najib’s matter, Anwar will oscillate from one nebulous position to another. I seriously doubt that Anwar will have a firm position on the matter of house arrest for Najib.

Anwar is too much of a political chameleon to have definitive view on subjects of serious nature. - May 24, 2024

Former DAP stalwart and Penang chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

https://focusmalaysia.my/ramasamy-how-much-longer-will-it-take-pmx-to-state-whether-he-supports-najibs-house-arrest/