Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders to explain the decision allowing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
In a statement, Rafizi said Malaysians would naturally have different reactions to the conditional pardon and home detention arrangement; including anger, disappointment and happiness.
He said people should be allowed to express their views within the boundaries of the law.
However, Rafizi argued that Anwar and PH could not simply tell Malaysians the matter was beyond their control, saying the government had a responsibility to explain the decision.
“This is not about politics, but the debt that Datuk Seri Anwar and PH owe Malaysians regarding 1MDB,” he said.
Rafizi said the 1MDB scandal had involved many ordinary Malaysians, including civil servants, journalists and activists who took significant risks in carrying out their work to expose the scandal.
He also pointed out that the issue had helped convince some voters who had never previously supported PH to vote for the coalition in the 2018 general election.
According to Rafizi, Anwar also benefited politically from the 1MDB issue, although he acknowledged that Anwar was in prison during much of the confrontation over the scandal between 2015 and 2018.
Rafizi said this was why the prime minister and PH leadership should provide Malaysians with a proper explanation over Najib’s home detention arrangement, even if the explanation was simply intended to reassure those who were disappointed by the decision.
At the very least, Rafizi called for the conditions of Najib’s house arrest to be made public in detail.
That, Rafizi said, would allow Malaysians to act as “eyes and ears” to ensure the arrangement was implemented strictly according to its conditions, and that action could be taken if there were clear violations.
Rafizi also urged Malaysians who remain deeply concerned about the 1MDB scandal to continue educating younger generations about what happened and the importance of maintaining integrity in government.
At the same time, he said he accepted the decision that had been made and hoped Najib, his family and supporters would understand that the 1MDB scandal had left a deep wound among many Malaysians.
He added that the house arrest process should ideally be carried out quietly to avoid provoking further reactions.
“While I accept the decision that has been made, it would be best for the house arrest process to proceed quietly so as not to invite various other reactions,” he said.
The statement was issued on behalf of Bersama.