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Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak is barred from political activity and media appearances under house arrest, according to the home minister on Thursday. Any breach will send him straight back to prison.
The announcement will remove any ambiguity about Najib’s possible role in the Melaka state election on Saturday and help shore up the credibility of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, already facing recriminations for not being able to stop the house arrest, an expert says.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told parliament Najib “cannot make any statement or comment in any media coverage. He cannot take part in public gatherings, let alone participate in political activities”.
If there was a breach, he added, “the person who violates the conditions will immediately be returned to Kajang Prison or any other prison designated by the commissioner general”.
Najib, 73, must remain at his luxury residence in Kuala Lumpur unless granted written permission to leave, receive approval before accepting visitors and use only telecommunications devices registered by prison authorities to verify his presence. He must also undergo rehabilitation programmes.
A request to include a second house in the arrangement could not be accommodated under the Pardons Board’s decision, Saifuddin added.
The home minister agreed to raise a proposal at Friday’s cabinet meeting to declassify the Pardons Board’s minutes, after Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman called for their disclosure to clarify how the decision was reached.
Saifuddin also addressed confusion over daily life at Najib’s residence, which has been designated a prison, confirming that immediate family members could live there. That contradicted claims by Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid, daughter of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, that Najib’s wife and children would not stay at the house. Source: South China Morning Post.
