SHAH ALAM - The 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal has lost much of its influence among Malay voters, with some continuing to believe that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was manipulated by fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.
Political analyst Professor James Chin said there was still a significant segment of Umno and Pas supporters who believed Najib was innocent and had been deceived by Jho Low, whom they viewed as the mastermind behind the scandal.
He said this perception remained influential among certain Malay voters despite the controversy surrounding the multibillion-ringgit financial scandal.
"To a lot of non-Malays, it may be difficult to understand, but there is a significant portion of people, especially among Pas and Umno supporters, who believe that Najib is innocent and was manipulated and scammed.
"They believe Jho Low was the real mastermind behind 1MDB and that he managed to manipulate Najib. It may sound crazy to some people, but there are Malays who genuinely believe this narrative," he told Sinar Daily.
Chin said the narrative also involved perceptions that Najib had been deceived by individuals of Chinese ethnicity, reflecting how ethnic sentiments could influence the way some voters viewed the scandal.
He stressed that Najib's 1MDB case was not the main factor behind the political developments seen in the recent Melaka state election.
Barisan Nasional (BN) has retained power in Melaka with a landslide victory in the state election, carrying forward its momentum from the Johor and Negeri Sembilan polls.
Malay support consolidated after BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) agreed to cooperate, and together the two secured 24 of the state’s 28 seats. That gives them more than a two-thirds majority in the state assembly.
BN won 21 seats, while PN took three through its component parties. Pas won two and Parti Wawasan Negara won one, which is its first seat in the state assembly.
For the record, Najib began serving the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest on Nov 10 at his residence after his party settled a RM50 million fine.
This transfer followed a conditional royal pardon granted by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia in Sept and a High Court order that ended a brief legal dispute over his release from Kajang Prison.
Under strict rules set by the Pardons Board, Najib can live with his family until his sentence ends on August 23, 2028, though he is barred from politics, media appearances, unapproved visitors and leaving home except for Friday prayers.
Any violation of these terms will result in his immediate return to prison.