Bersatu doctor's diagnosis: RM50m can cure many ills, but not kleptocrat condition

 

Bersatu supreme council member Dr Afif Bahardin, whose medical training may have equipped him to diagnose ailments but not necessarily to make sense of Umno’s political logic, has taken to social media to outline how he would spend RM50 million as the assemblyperson for Taman Medan.

His priorities, he made clear, would be improving the lives of his constituents, rather than settling a fine to spare a convicted individual from serving the remainder of his sentence behind prison walls.

The swipe at Umno comes in the wake of the party's successful effort to raise and settle the RM50 million fine imposed on former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak in the SRC International case.

The payment fulfils the financial condition attached to Najib's royal pardon, paving the way for him to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest.

So, what would Afif (above) do with RM50 million if he had the money at his disposal?

Najib Abdul Razak

RM12 million - Community health centre. So residents can see a doctor, not just gaze at a photograph of their elected representative.

RM10 million - Education and TVET (technical and vocational education and training) campus. To build a future for the children, not erect congratulatory billboards.

RM10 million - Upgrade flats. Repair the lifts, roofs and drains. Residents aren't asking for palaces.

RM8 million - People's economic hub. Help residents generate income, rather than merely handing out food baskets.

RM10 million – Urban park and sports complex. So young people have somewhere to play sports, instead of hanging around aimlessly.

“RM50 million. Five projects. Benefits for an entire generation. But that's not how Umno logic works: bail out a kleptocrat,” he posted on Threads.

Najib's road to house arrest

Najib was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and fined RM210 million in July 2020 after the Kuala Lumpur High Court found him guilty of seven charges involving the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.

The Court of Appeal and the Federal Court subsequently upheld the conviction and sentence in December 2021 and August 2022, respectively. Najib began serving his prison sentence at Kajang Prison on Aug 23, 2022, after the Federal Court dismissed his final appeal.

In February 2024, the Pardons Board announced that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had reduced his prison term from 12 to six years and cut the fine from RM210 million to RM50 million. The commuted sentence meant that, subject to the applicable remission provisions, Najib's prison term was due to end in August 2028.

In September 2026, a second royal intervention paved the way for Najib to serve the remainder of his reduced sentence under house arrest. The conditional pardon was subject to Najib settling the RM50 million fine. 

Umno subsequently launched the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund to raise the money, with contributions collected from party members and the public reaching millions of ringgit within days.

However, the former prime minister’s homecoming could be short-lived as the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Oct 14 rejected his application to postpone the execution of his sentences for separate 1MDB-related charges.

This means that - pending further appeals - when Najib's SRC International sentence ends on Aug 23, 2028, he will have to return to prison.

In December last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court convicted Najib on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering linked to 1MDB.

Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah sentenced him to 15 years' jail for each abuse of power charge and five years for each money laundering charge. However, the sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will serve 15 years for all 25 offences.

The 1MDB sentences are to begin only after he completes his prison terms for the separate SRC International convictions. - Mkini