Malaysia’s former premier Najib’s party considers early general election after big weekend win

Former premier Najib Razak, on trial for corruption, leads pro-Malay party United Malays National Organisation to victory in local polls
It won 18 of 28 seats in Malacca on Saturday, while its allies in the Barisan Nasional coalition won three; Najib ‘slept soundly’ after win

Malaysian politics

Bloomberg

Published: 6:44pm, 22 Nov 2021

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Malaysia’s ruling United Malays National Organisation is considering bringing forward a general election that is due only in 2023, after former premier Najib Razak led the pro-Malay party and its allies to a resounding victory in local polls over the weekend.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan said he spoke with the prime minister on considering an earlier election, to capitalise on the current pro-government sentiments, the Malaysian National News Agency Bernama reported on Sunday. The party won 18 of the 28 seats in the Malacca polls on Saturday, while its allies in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition won three, clinching a super majority in the state.

Najib’s comeback hopes gain steam as rivals falter in Malaysia state polls

An early election in Malaysia would benefit Najib and Umno party president Zahid Hamidi the most. Zahid would control the list of party candidates to field in an early election, and Najib would likely become the next premier, said Wong Chin Huat, a professor of political science at the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University in Malaysia.

A motorist passes by an election campaign banner in a village in the Malaysian southern state of Malacca. Photo: AP

Both are on trial for corruption, and neither hold any positions in the current government led by their party colleague Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“Last night, I slept soundly,” Najib said in a video shared on Facebook on Sunday. “To me, this huge win means that the people have placed their trust and confidence in the Barisan Nasional government.”

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Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak charged with money laundering

Najib was Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 until the multibillion ringgit corruption scandal involving state fund 1MDB cost his party the 2018 election. He has since been rehabilitating his image through social media, gaining traction among followers with his jibes against the two governments that succeeded his. A strong win in Malacca would now galvanise him politically.

Still, Prime Minister Ismail may resist calls for an early election as it would likely spell the end of his leadership, Wong said. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) he brokered with the opposition states that the government will not hold an election before July next year. “Ismail Sabri now has a stronger incentive to make the MOU work,” Wong added.

A woman casts her vote in Malacca, Malaysia, on Saturday. Photo: AP

The opposition may not share the same sentiments, after its huge loss in the local polls on Saturday. “We will look deep and hard on what went wrong with Election Commission SOP (standard operating procedures), coalition and internal party dynamics. The MOU will be one of them,” said opposition lawmaker Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or People’s Justice Party.

Malaysia’s Najib eyes political comeback as Malacca to host polls

The Pakatan Harapan alliance won just five of the 28 seats it contested on Saturday, prompting UMNO’s Mohamad to question the future of the MOU.

“It’s unsure whether they will withdraw because anything can happen in politics,” Mohamad said in the Bernama report, referring to the opposition. “The dynamics change every day and are not static. As such, it’s up to BN and Umno to conduct a review.”

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Najib comeback hopes gain momentum