Ex-M'sia PM Najib eyeing election contest, doesn't confirm or deny taking economic adviser role
Najib said: "Any politician who would want to play a role would want a seat in parliament."
Faris Alfiq |
September 20, 2021, 02:25 PM
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Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak said that he has not ruled out seeking re-election to parliament in the next General Election slated to take place before July 2023.
In an interview with
Reuters, Najib, who was prime minister from 2009 to 2018, said that "any politician who would want to play a role would want a seat in parliament".
He was responding to a question posed by
Reuters on whether he will be contesting in the next election.
However, under the Constitution, Najib's run for the post might not be smooth due to his corruption charges.
The former prime minister faces more than 40 charges of abuse of power, money laundering and other offences mostly linked to 1MDB.
According to authorities in Malaysia and the United States, more than US$4.5 billion (S$6 billion) was stolen from 1MDB, some of which was funnelled to Najib's account.
The U.S. Department of Justice described the scandal as
"kleptocracy at its worst".
Najib was found guilty of corruption in 2020 and was sentenced to 12 years in jail for one of the charges,
Malay Mail reported.
He has denied any wrongdoing and has
appealed the verdict.
He claimed that his prosecution was politically motivated and has since sought a probe into his case.
Did not confirm nor deny economic advisor position
As of now, Najib is still a member of parliament, but under the Constitution, he would not be allowed to contest an election unless he receives a pardon or a reprieve from Malaysia's King.
Speaking to
Reuters, Najib challenged the terms that would disqualify him from contesting in the next election, describing them as "subject to interpretation".
"It depends on interpretation in terms of the law, the Constitution and whatever happens in court proceedings," he said.
He did not clarify how he would go about overcoming the Constitutional barriers.
Moving away from the elections, Najib said that he had discussed with the current Prime Minister Ismail Sabri a possible role for him in the government.
Media reports and rumours indicated that Najib would be offered a ministerial-level position as an economic adviser.
The offer was similar by Ismail Sabri to his predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin as the
Chairman of the National Recovery Council.
Najib, however, would not say whether he is accepting or declining the offer as he told
Reuters that his priority was to clear his name.
Ismail Sabri hailed from the same political party as Najib, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which managed to held power in Malaysian politics for more than 60 years before being ousted by the Mahathir-led Pakatan Harapan in a watershed election in 2018.
However, political upheavals and development in recent years managed to slingshot Umno back to power a few weeks ago.
Najib described the right-wing party's return to power as a "temporary political stability" after a period of chaotic infighting among the various political factions in Malaysia.
Pushing for Royal Commission of Inquiry
Najib also insisted that the charges he is currently facing were politically motivated. He told
Reuters that he is pushing for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into former Attorney General Tommy Thomas.
Thomas first brought the case against Najib in 2018 after Umno lost power.
"I've been insisting on it. The RCI is to establish that it will be a fair and just trial for everyone, not just for me," Najib said.
He further added that he had discussed establishing the RCI with his successors Ismail Sabri and Muhyiddin.
However, Muhyiddin has rejected it, while Ismail Sabri has yet to agree to the proposal.
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Top images via Najib Razak/Facebook
