Release minutes: Ex-Bersih leaders Ambiga, Maria join push to lift veil on house arrest

Former Bersih leaders Ambiga Sreenevasan and Maria Chin Abdullah, who once helped organise street protests against Najib Abdul Razak during his tenure as prime minister, have joined calls for the minutes of the Federal Territories Pardons Board meeting that paved the way for his house arrest to be made public.

The two were among signatories to a joint statement, which was also backed by several MPs, expressing concern that the perception of a convicted high-level official receiving sentence reductions and preferential confinement arrangements could undermine public trust.

The statement, signed by 37 organisations and 385 individuals, noted that the additional clemency for Najib comes as the nation continues to bear the immense financial burden from the billions of ringgit stolen through the 1MDB and SRC International scandals.

“The burden of high-level corruption ultimately falls upon the rakyat, who pay the price through lost public revenue, national debt servicing, and reduced funding for essential public infrastructure and economic development.

“There are critical concerns that affect our nation. The decisions surrounding Najib's legal outcome - from the halving of his original 12-year prison sentence and the reduction of his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million, to his conditional transition to house arrest - do raise profound concerns regarding transparency, accountability, and the rule of law in Malaysia,” read the statement from Persatuan Mertabat Untuk Semua Petaling Jaya (Martabat PJ).

The signatories called for the full minutes to be released, together with the recorded justifications underpinning the board’s decision-making process, saying this was necessary to uphold the integrity of Malaysia’s justice system and fulfil its obligation to the public.

“Complete disclosure is essential to explain how a case involving massive institutional embezzlement resulted in multiple sentence reductions and the convicted Najib is now given house arrest privileges.

“Full transparency from the Pardons Board is not merely a request - it is a vital measure to ensure that the principle of equal treatment under the law, without discrimination in its application (antara dua darjat) is upheld and to prove that no individual stands above the law,” they added.

Taking to the streets

The last time Bersih took to the streets in a major rally against Najib was Bersih 5 in November 2016, less than two years before his coalition suffered a historic defeat in the 2018 general election.

On Nov 18, 2016, on the eve of Bersih 5, police raided the Bersih 2.0 office in Petaling Jaya and arrested the watchdog’s then chairperson Maria and secretariat manager Mandeep Singh, who also supported the Martabat PJ statement.

Maria was subsequently detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, while Mandeep was investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code.

Four years earlier, when Ambiga led Bersih, she too became the target of harassment following the Bersih 3 protest.

Apart from a “burger protest” outside her residence by a group of traders who claimed to have suffered losses because of Bersih 3, a group of retired armed forces personnel staged “butt exercises” (below) there.

The participants, who claimed to be members of the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association, said the event was held to protest against Ambiga, whom they described as an “enemy of the nation who had smeared the country’s name”.

Last Friday, Bersih’s current leadership signalled that it would not let the Pardons Board’s decision pass without protest.

“A decision made without clear explanations and acceptable conditions will make it difficult for the public to accept that a corrupt individual can sleep soundly in a comfortable home and on a soft bed.

“While activists fighting and campaigning against corruption have had their accounts frozen and their movements restricted, those involved in corruption and abuse of power are instead given discounts and pardons. The people have only one word - fight,” it added.

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