FT DAP leader: Party should reconsider Cabinet role if Najib is freed

 

A FEDERAL Territories DAP leader has urged the party to leave the Cabinet, though not necessarily withdraw support for the Madani government, if Datuk Seri Najib Razak is released through clemency.

The call comes amid reports that the Federal Territories Pardons Board is expected to meet on Friday (Sept 11), with the former prime minister’s clemency application potentially on the agenda.

Najib is currently serving a prison sentence after the Federal Court upheld his conviction in the SRC International case, while his conviction on a further 25 charges linked to 1MDB remains under appeal.

DAP Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur treasurer Ben Fong Kok Seng said the constitutional clemency process, including the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, must be respected, but argued that constitutional propriety should not come at the expense of political principles.

“Respect for the constitutional process does not require us to abandon our political principles,” he said in a statement issued in his personal capacity as a grassroots DAP member.

Fong said DAP delegates had given the party leadership a mandate at its recent convention to remain in government until the end of the parliamentary term, but argued that a decision to free Najib without him serving what he described as a punishment commensurate with the gravity of his convictions would fundamentally change those circumstances.

“In my view, it would then be untenable for DAP to remain in the Cabinet. This is a red line that we cannot cross,” he stated.

Fong stressed that Najib’s release would make it difficult for DAP to reconcile its continued Cabinet participation with the party’s longstanding commitment to clean government, institutional reform and accountability.

Fong also echoed an earlier position taken by DAP vice-chairman Nga Kor Ming, who had said he would be prepared to resign from the Cabinet if Najib were released without serving an appropriate sentence.

However, Fong stressed that leaving the Cabinet need not mean toppling the Madani government.

Instead, he said DAP could continue supporting the government from outside the Cabinet while pursuing reforms such as limiting the prime minister’s tenure and separating the roles of attorney-general and public prosecutor.

“Political leaders must recognise that some lines cannot be crossed,” he added.

Fong emphasised that his statement reflected his personal views and did not represent the official position of Federal Territories DAP or the party at any level. ‒ Focus Malaysia