Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is currently serving a six-year jail sentence after being found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering linked to SRC International Sdn Bhd, which used to be part of 1MDB.
Previously, the National Palace said in a statement that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, has the authority to grant a royal pardon or reduce a sentence, and any prisoner can apply to the Pardons Board for the King to review.
M’sians’ views on Najib Razak’s royal pardon request
A recent survey by Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) commissioned Merdeka Centre to conduct a survey involving Malaysians from various ethnic, gender, generational, socio-economic, geographical, and political backgrounds.
The report titled “No Dua Darjat: Public Perception on Proportionality of Criminal Sentences, Home Detention and Najib Razak’s Pardon Plea” included several questions, with a focus on the royal pardon request and public views on Najib Razak, who was convicted of corruption.
The results showed that 62.2% of Indian respondents were in favour of Najib getting a royal pardon, followed by 50.5% of Muslim Bumiputera and 43% of Malays.
On the other hand, 95% of the Chinese community were against it, along with 51% of non-Muslim Bumiputera.
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Political parties supporting Najib’s pardon plea
Overall, 32.7% supported the idea of pardoning Najib, mainly because they felt he had contributed to the country. But 57.8% disagreed, saying he betrayed the people and caused major losses (34.3%), still has ongoing cases (15.4%), and hasn’t admitted to any wrongdoing (8.1%).
Meanwhile, in terms of political support for his royal pardon request, the strongest backing came from Barisan Nasional supporters at 67.7%, followed by Perikatan Nasional at 44.6%, and 39.2% of GPS, GRS, and Warisan supporters.
However, Pakatan Harapan supporters were the most against it, with 87.3% saying no to the pardon, followed by 57.1% of voters from other parties or coalitions.
The survey was carried out between March 27 and April 17 this year, involving 1,210 Malaysians aged 18 and above.
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Also read: Istana Negara: The King Has the Authority to Grant Amnesty or Sentence Reductions to Prisoners
