Najib’s apology: PM’s reply not an attempt to soften 1MDB damages - aide

A political aide to Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim clarified that Anwar’s response to Najib Abdul Razak’s apology should not be construed as an attempt to soften the blow caused by the 1MDB scandal.

Taking to X, Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim (above) explained the apology invalidates any attempts to defend the scandal.

“There is no issue whether PMX (Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim) welcomes the apology or not. What he said was he ‘accepts in good faith’ the apology made.

“This in no way dismisses or changes the fact that the country suffered extensive damage due to the 1MDB scandal.

“Therefore, any arguments to defend this wrongdoing effectively been invalidated by the apology from the former primer minister Najib,” he tweeted.

Concluding his post, Kamil asserted that no one is above the law and justice must be upheld.

Yesterday, Anwar, who was a vocal critic of the 1MDB scandal, said he “welcomes” Najib’s apology.

In a statement read by his son Nizar at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday, Najib apologised for the 1MDB scandal occurring under his leadership but maintained his claim of innocence.

Both Najib’s apology and Anwar’s response courted backlash from various quarters, including former MACC chief Latheefa Koya who argued that Anwar had no authority to accept the apology and that his stance appeared to condone the scandal.

Meanwhile, DAP lawmaker RSN Rayer praised Anwar for his humility and compassion but voiced concerns that the public may struggle to forgive the government.

Similarly, former Sepang MP Mohamed Hanipa Maidin stated that Anwar’s response does not represent everyone’s views.

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