Anwar Steers Clear of Najib's "Supplementary Order" Controversy

In a recent development, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has chosen to stay out of the conversation surrounding the alleged “supplementary order” that could potentially allow Najib Razak to serve his sentence under house arrest. The former Prime Minister is attempting to initiate judicial review proceedings to compel the government to produce the said order, purportedly issued by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, during a Federal Territories Pardons Board (FTPB) meeting on January 29.

When asked about the existence of the “supplementary order,” Anwar stated, “I don’t want to be involved in discussions about the addendum (supplementary order).” He emphasized that the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the pardons board, which is overseen by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Malay Rulers. Anwar advised that all parties should accept this and focus on ensuring security and stability.

Each state has its own pardons board appointed by the respective sultan or governor, except for the federal territories, where the members are appointed by the king. The FTPB is led by the king and consists of five members: the attorney-general, the federal territories minister, and up to three other members appointed by the king.

On February 2, the FTPB reduced Najib's prison sentence from 12 years to six years in his SRC International case and lowered his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million. Najib, aged 70, is currently serving his sentence in Kajang Prison and is scheduled for release on August 23, 2028.

On April 1, Najib initiated legal proceedings to compel the government to produce the “supplementary order,” arguing that the government was acting in contempt for not executing it. Najib's legal team had sent letters to Anwar and other top government leaders seeking confirmation of the existence of the order, but they have not yet received a response.

An affidavit supporting Najib's application, filed on Wednesday, brought attention to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's claim of having viewed a copy of the order on Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s mobile phone.

When asked about Zahid's affidavit, Anwar mentioned that Zahid was acting in his capacity as the president of UMNO. Anwar reiterated the government’s position that any matters involving the Malay Rulers should not be challenged in court, stating, "This has been the government’s position, even before independence. I won’t comment further."

Zulaikha Farhana is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!

The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.