• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
  • WORLD DEMOCRACY
  • POLITICAL ART
  • more
    • election technology
    • money politics
    • political dissidents
    • THIRD PARTY
      • third party central
      • green party
      • justice party
      • libertarian party
    • voting methods
  • DC INFO
    • author central
    • about
    • advertise with DC
    • contact
    • privacy policy

Democracy Chronicles

Ex-Malaysia PM Razak on Charm Offensive Before Graft Trial

by DC Editors - February 11, 2019

FacebookTweetLinkedInPin
Ex-Malaysia Prime Minister on Charm Offensive Before Graft Trial
Ex Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak – Image source

From Voice of America

Disgraced former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been out campaigning in recent weeks as if for an election, trying to shed the image of a wealthy, elite politician and elicit public sympathy before his corruption trial begins Tuesday.

Najib has pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering, in what is set to be the first of many trials over suspected multibillion-dollar fraud at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The trial starts nine months after Malaysians voted Najib out of office in a general election dominated by public disgust over allegations about $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB, and about a quarter of it went into his personal bank accounts.

Police found nearly $300 million worth of goods and cash at properties linked to Najib soon after the May 2018 election.

Change of image

But as the trial date nears, Najib, who maintains his innocence, has sought a radical change of image, painting himself as a victim of a vindictive government led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

The 65-year-old son of Malaysia’s second prime minister is also trying to build an image as a folksy voice of working people, especially members of the ethnic Malay majority.

Najib, in a viral video last month, crooned a Malay-language version of the 1970s hit “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” surrounded by a chorus of somber young singers, criticizing Mahathir’s coalition for failing to live up to election promises.

“On May 9, 2018, I was ousted. All this time, I have been fighting with my life for the people I love. But what can I do?” an earnest Najib says of his “saddest day” in the introduction to the song.

Najib has also been hitting out online. His jibes against ruling party politicians on Facebook and Twitter have some social media users referring to him as “King of Trolls.”

Court to decide

A relaxed, casually dressed Najib also paid a visit this month to Langkawi, Mahathir’s island constituency, where he went around town, visiting markets, eating at hawker stalls and rubbing elbows and posing for selfies with passers-by.

Mahathir was not impressed. He told a news conference last week Najib seemed to be getting popular on social media because “he provides a lot of stories.”

Harvinderjit Singh, one of Najib’s lawyers, declined to comment on the former premier’s public appearances but said the 1MDB trials were unlikely to be affected by the hoopla.

“The case is going to be determined by what happens in court, not out of it,” he said.

1MDB trial

While Najib has been trying to build public support, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has been building a formidable team to prosecute Najib, his wife and a host of other former top officials charged for corruption. All of them have pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution has been recruiting top notch criminal attorneys including former federal court judge Gopal Sri Ram and Sulaiman Abdullah, a lawyer with a background in cases of white-collar crime.

The AGC has also recalled several prosecutors from state offices to join the team, two lawyers with knowledge of the matter said.

The AGC did not respond to a request for comment.

Najib has a defense team of eight lawyers, led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who once represented the government in a sodomy case against former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Najib could face years in prison. He faces 39 criminal charges over losses at 1MDB and other state entities.

Seven of those charges will be the subject of Tuesday’s trial, relating to transfers totaling 42 million ringgit ($10.30 million) into Najib’s personal bank account from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit.

Prosecutors have handed nearly 3,000 pages of documents to the defense ahead of the trial, said Najib’s lawyer Singh.

The documents include statements from 26 witnesses, some of whom were SRC officials, who will likely be called to testify.

Najib, who has not been asked to testify in his own defense, hopes only for a fair trial, Singh said.

“Our client is of the view that if he gets a fair trial, then the truth will show itself to the public,” he said.

FacebookTweetLinkedInPin

Filed Under: International Democracy Tagged With: Asia, Malaysia, Worldwide Corruption

About DC Editors

We are your source for news on the all important effort to establish and strengthen democracy across the globe. Our international team with dozens of independent authors are your gateway into the raging struggle for free and fair elections on every continent with a focus on election reform in the United States. See our Facebook Page and also follow us on Twitter @demchron.

Some highlighted Democracy Chronicles topics

Africa American Corruption American Local Elections American State Elections Asia Capitalism and Big Business Celebrity Politics China Democracy Charity Democracy Protests Democrats Dictatorships Education Election History Election Methods Election Security Election Transparency Europe Internet and Democracy Journalism and Free Speech Middle East Minority Voting Rights Money Politics New York City and State Elections Political Artwork Political Dissidents Political Lobbying Redistricting Republicans Russia Socialism and Labor Social Media and Democracy South America Spying and Privacy Supreme Court Third Party Voter Access Voter ID Voter Registration Voter Suppression Voter Turnout Voting Technology Women Voting Rights Worldwide Worldwide Corruption

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home | ALL NEWS | WORLD | Ex-Malaysia PM Razak on Charm Offensive Before Graft Trial

Primary Sidebar

Advertise button

A Dangerous Reprise Of American Exceptionalism In Ukraine

By Jamie Lampidis May 15, 2022

The stakes are too high to cave into Putin’s phantasmatic imperial play, and too high to believe that this war can be won by arming Ukrainians.

On The Coming End Of Roe v. Wade

By Peter J. Dellolio May 11, 2022

Anyone who says that the evolution of law has nothing to do with politics is either very corrupt or very stupid. Laws evolved through the centuries.

democracy chronicles newsletter

DC AUTHORS

Goodbye Roe v. Wade, Goodbye Rule Of Law

By Andrew Straw May 5, 2022

Congress should impeach judges who act like that because it is not good behavior, and they were asked not to act that way when they were confirmed.

PODCAST: Debating The Future Of Debates

By Jenna Spinelle May 4, 2022

We love a good debate — and have certainly had plenty of them on this show. But how effective are they in today’s media and political landscape?

What “Pro-Palestine” Student Groups Get Wrong

By David Anderson, J.D. May 3, 2022

Back then – as now – this fit into a “colonialist” narrative of European Jews oppressing Arabs – an easy, eye pleasing but intellectually lazy fit.

Examining Government As A “Necessary Evil”

By Gary Berton April 29, 2022

Thomas Paine defines government as separate from society, and indeed if society functioned perfectly there would be no need for government.

Ukrainian And Polish History: Fighting The Empires

By Maxim Sidorenko April 26, 2022

On February 24th, Russia started an unprovoked war against Ukraine. It has become one more attempt of the empire to demolish the Ukrainian state.

PODCAST: What Student Debt Says About Democratic Institutions

By Jenna Spinelle April 26, 2022

In a new book, Josh Mitchell draws alarming parallels to the housing crisis, showing the catastrophic consequences student debt has had on families.

Aging White Men Who Commit Voter Fraud Have Nothing To Fear

By Steve Schneider April 22, 2022

The sentences stand in contrast with the actions of the Governor who recently got the state legislature to create an election integrity police force.

MORE FROM OUR AUTHORS

VISIT OUR POLITICAL ART SECTION:

dc political art

DEMOCRACY CULTURE

North Korea Cracks Down On 'Capitalist' Pop Culture

North Korea Cracks Down On ‘Capitalist’ Pop Culture

May 6, 2022

North Korea has increased its campaign against “capitalist” style clothing, others, in broader crackdown on foreign pop culture.

DiCaprio, Ruffalo Urge Brazilians To Vote, Irking Bolsonaro

DiCaprio, Ruffalo Urge Brazilians To Vote, Irking Bolsonaro

May 6, 2022

Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo joined other celebrities making a final push for voters in Brazil to register to vote.

Mock M&M Election Teaches Alaskans About Ranked Voting

Mock M&M Election Teaches Alaskans About Ranked Voting

April 26, 2022

There are paper cups with eight different kinds of M&M near the entrance to Amalga Distillery in Juneau for a mock ranked choice vote.

How Moral Echo Chambers Increase Likelihood Of Radicalism

How Moral Echo Chambers Increase Likelihood Of Radicalism

April 21, 2022

Moral convergence – group of people who share moral standards – emerges in online situations where communities share similar values.

Dr. Oz Seeks To Make History In US Senate Bid

Dr. Oz Seeks To Make History In US Senate Bid

April 16, 2022

Trump’s endorsement of Dr. Oz in the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania adds a new wrinkle to the tight race for GOP nominee in a month.

MORE CULTURE

VISIT OUR US DEMOCRACY SECTION:

American Democracy