Malaysia 1MDB scandal: Najib Razak may be down, but don’t count him out just yet – ‘even from behind bars’

The disgraced former leader has powerful friends in high places and is still beloved by his supporters, for whom he remains ‘Bossku’

His greed appears to have outdone his political survival instincts, for now, but the idea of a swift rehabilitation cannot be easily dismissed

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Najib Razak gestures as he leaves the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Office in 2018. Photo: AP

Published: 8:30am, 27 Aug 2022

After four years of trenchant denials and legal obfuscation, former Prime Minister Najib Razak, the star of Malaysia’s leading political family, this week became the first leader of his country to be jailed – a humiliating downfall for a proud figure now enmeshed by corruption charges.

His ranks of critics said it was just deserts for a 69-year-old whose greed appears to have – for now at least – outdone his instincts for political survival. With several further charges ahead of him, they hope Najib’s career is firmly in the ground.

Yet, in his Malay heartlands he remains Bossku – the jeans-wearing everyman who champions the poor, with a knack for social media outreach that tugs at the loyalties of an influential constituency.

Najib Razak’s supporters shout slogans outside the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, a day after the former prime minister was jailed. Photo: EPA-EFE

Already there is speculation of a royal pardon and even a swift political reincarnation if he can wriggle free from prison before a general election.

“Even from behind bars, Najib is still trying,” said long-time Malaysian politics watcher James Chin from the University of Tasmania, who believes that if Najib is granted a pardon before an election is called, he will contest his seat.

Malaysia’s apex court on Tuesday upheld Najib’s 12-year sentence for a corruption conviction linked to a former unit of scandal-mired state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The bench swatted away appeals for a delay to the ruling and a desperate, last-gasp attempt by Najib to claim he had inadequate legal representation to ensure a fair trial.

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