Mixed reactions flood social media over Najib's sentence reduction

SHAH ALAM - The Pardons Board's decision to reduce former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's jail sentence and fine has sparked a wave of reactions across social and political spheres.

Umno Youth Chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh slammed the move on Facebook, suggesting a lack of transparency.

"We were played in the end. Don't think we don't know what happened. It's time," he said in a Facebook post.

His post attracted widespread attention, prompting a flurry of comments.

One user, @Mohd Faiz, urged action, saying, "Let's fight. God willing, together with Dr patience has its limits."

Another user @Shahnor Samsudin commented, "We own a heritage for ages, then it proceeds to flow into other hands, the Malays suffer on their own."

@Abdrahman Man sarcastically stated, "What can we do when Umno supporters are born to be played. Thankfully, I'm with Pas now."

@Yong Mahdi stressed the need for action, stating, "We need to do something YB Dr DS Najib's influence is still strong, especially at the grassroots."

Meanwhile, @Mohd Hafizi argued for Najib's release, claiming, "Najib should be free due to being dragged for five years without evidence."

He tweeted sarcasm on his Facebook platform, saying, “Can someone send me to jail for 1 year and in exchange, pay me RM50mil? Pretty please?”

This post, too, became a discussion forum, with users like @Chan Hua Chuan and @Darren Chan expressing frustration and disappointment at Malaysia's tarnished image.

"The Pardon Board has a lot of explaining to do on why they had just made Malaysia into an international laughing stock," Darren wrote.

@Chan Hua Chuan expressed disappointment and said, "All that hard work, the sacrifices of the then opposition MPs and politicians who exposed the scandals - it has come to this!"

@Kamarul Awal drew alleged parallels, commenting, "Zahid (Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) can? Najib also can. It’s Madani, obviously it's going to be the same."

In a meeting on Jan 29, 2024, the Pardons Board decided to slash Najib’s jail time in half.

This means the former Umno president would be released from prison on Aug 23, 2028.

The board also slashed the fine slapped on Najib from RM210 million to RM50 million.

If Najib failed to pay the fine, he would have to serve another year in jail and the date of his release would be on Aug 23, 2029.