KUALA LUMPUR: There is no reason to ‘celebrate’ or ‘rub salt into the wound’ over the High Court’s decision to reject the alleged royal addendum linked to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, as the former prime minister has already served more than three years of his prison sentence.
Former Bangi member of parliament Professor Dr Ong Kian Ming said following Najib’s imprisonment in 2022, the latter’s health has been a recurring concern raised by members of his family.
He also noted that, aside from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who served jail sentences before becoming prime minister, Najib is the only former prime minister to have served time in prison.
“It is not easy for any 72-year-old to serve time in prison, more so if he is a former prime minister and a member of the Malaysian aristocracy.
“I would feel burdened and sad if I were any of Najib’s children and grandchildren, thinking about how their father and grandfather was sitting alone in the Kajang prison while most other people are enjoying their year end break and celebrating the holidays with their family and friends.
“Our country is already divided enough over racial and religious politicking, including after the recent cabinet reshuffle.
“There is no need to add further ‘fuel to the fire’ by making remarks and issuing statements that are likely to inflame such sentiments among various communities,” he said in a statement on Facebook today.
Yesterday, High Court judge Alice Loke dismissed Najib’s judicial review application to enforce an alleged royal addendum that would have allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
LINK: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2025/12/1342308/high-court-rejects-house-arrest-bid-najib-remain-kajang-prison-watch
After Najib’s application was dismissed, Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin wrote on social media that it was “another reason to celebrate this year-end.”
Following this, several Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders criticised Yeo over her social media post, including BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, BN and Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, and Negri Sembilan Umno chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.
Meanwhile, Ong, who is a former deputy international trade and industry minister, added that such statement not only appear ‘tone deaf’, but ignores the feelings of many in the Malay community, who may not support Najib’s actions, but do not want to see a former prime minister humiliated or his rivals celebrating the ruling publicly.
“I understand that many of those who remember and are still aggrieved by the amount of public funds that were stolen as part of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal are pleased that Najib still has to suffer in the Kajang prison rather than in the comfort of his.
“I am also aggrieved that Najib is still taking the position that he was somehow ‘duped’ by Jho Low, the instigator behind 1MDB, rather than to come clean with regards to how he was complicit in this scandal.
“(But) such celebratory action does not only weaken the ability of the Madani government to function effectively for the remainder of its term over the next two years but also threatens the likelihood of an electoral agreement between Pakatan Harapan and BN before and after the next general election.
“Who knows, this may be one of the actions which may lead the BN to seek closer cooperation with PN in the run-up to the next election, to the detriment of PH and its supporters,” he said.
Ong also said it may be time to start a serious discussion on the possibility of a full pardon for Najib in 2026.
“When I made my first appearance on the ‘Keluar Sekejap’ podcast in 2023, I said that giving a full pardon to Najib would constitute a ‘red line’ for the DAP.
“More than two years on, especially after the discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) for Deputy Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Dr) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in September 2023, I am less sure of that ‘red line’,” he said.
He also said thinking has been influenced by Khairy Jamaluddin’s proposal, which suggests a full pardon for Najib and dropping ongoing legal cases against several political figures to allow for a “political reset” and promote greater political maturity in Malaysia.
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