How sincere is Najib's apology, reform groups ask

Otai Reformasi Welfare Association president Mustapa Mansor has questioned the sincerity of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s recent apology for the 1MDB scandal.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Mustapa voiced concerns that the apology comes amid mounting political and legal pressure.

“A reformist may question the sincerity of the apology. 

“If seen merely as a political strategy, the apology might not be considered genuine. To them (reformists), an apology should come with full acknowledgement of responsibility and wrongdoing,” he told Malaysiakini today.

On Thursday, Najib’s son Nizar read out a statement by the former premier in which he apologised and expressed regret over the 1MDB scandal while maintaining his innocence.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim responded, saying he “welcomed” the apology.

Commenting further, Mustapa said that while Anwar may personally welcome Najib’s apology, he must also heed the people’s expectations.

“Reformists may argue that an apology alone is insufficient without efforts to restore financial losses and a fair legal process for all those involved,” he said.

“Reformists could be cautious about inadvertently legitimising or showing undue sympathy towards those responsible for the scandal, especially if the justice process is still ongoing,” he added.

He outlined several key considerations that reformists may weigh, such as genuine efforts to restore public trust, meaningful institutional reform, and responsiveness to public opinion.

“The public wants to see changes in line with the promises the prime minister has voiced for decades. Judicial reforms must be demonstrated as independent from the interference of those in power,” he said.

Expedite long-needed reforms

Echoing similar sentiments, Bersih chairperson Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz urged Anwar to expedite long-needed reforms, particularly within law enforcement bodies.

Faisal commented that Najib’s apology exposes significant gaps within law enforcement institutions, especially regarding handling politically sensitive cases.

“It is truly unfortunate that since the government changed in 2018, there has still been no effort to implement reforms in law enforcement institutions, despite universal acknowledgement that 1MDB is one of the most significant scandals in the nation’s history.

“This includes structural reforms for the MACC and accelerating the separation of powers between the attorney-general and the public prosecutor,” he explained. 

He further emphasised the need to learn lessons from the scandal, urging swift governmental action to ensure such an incident never happens again.

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