‘Court cluster’ comeback unlikely with Najib’s conviction, says analyst

 

A political analyst said the Federal Court’s decision is good news for Ismail Sabri Yaakob and other Umno-Barisan Nasional members currently in government.

PETALING JAYA: A comeback for Umno’s “court cluster” is unlikely after the Federal Court affirmed Najib Razak’s conviction and sentence in the SRC International case, says a political analyst.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said the court’s ruling today would pave the way for Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be the leading prime ministerial candidate for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) at the next general election.

“The court’s decision is really good news for Ismail and other Umno-BN members currently in government.

“They no longer have to worry about the court cluster making a comeback,” he told FMT.

Chin said Najib was still widely seen as a leader within Umno although he was no longer party president.

The apex court’s affirmation of the former prime minister’s conviction, he said, was likely to mean that other party figures facing trial, such as Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, could expect to face similar verdicts in their own court cases.

Chin said Umno was likely to distance itself from Najib, and he expected the party to state that it would not interfere with the judiciary.

He said the party would assure voters it could be trusted to restore political stability in the country.

The “court cluster” refers to prominent Umno leaders, including party president Zahid and Najib, who are either on trial or have been convicted on charges such as criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering.

Earlier today, the Federal Court affirmed Najib’s conviction and sentence in the SRC case. This means the former prime minister will begin serving his jail term immediately.

On July 28, 2020, Najib was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM210 million.

Another analyst, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, said it was no surprise that the Federal Court upheld the rulings of the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

He said Umno was likely to use Najib’s conviction to its advantage by playing the “sympathy card” in the next general election.

“Umno will portray Najib as a victim who wasn’t given a fair trial,” he said. “It will not be a setback for the party.”

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs believed that Umno was undecided on its stance regarding Najib’s conviction.

He said it was not set in stone whether the party would support the Pekan MP or abandon him. - FMT