Kota Kinabalu: DAP Sabah Deputy Chairman Chan Foong Hin has warned that recent discussions surrounding the potential early release of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak raise deeper concerns about whether the country is quietly returning to the political culture Malaysians rejected in 2018.
“The people did not vote in 2018 just for a change of faces in Putrajaya,” Chan said, adding that they had voted to end the abuse of power, stop corruption from being treated as business as usual and ensure that public institutions were stronger than political power.
The 1MDB scandal was the ultimate symbol of what happened when those lines became blurred, and “we cannot allow its lessons to be erased”, he said.
Chan emphasised the need to fully respect the constitutional authority of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the independence of the judiciary and due legal process.
However, he stressed that one principle must remain non-negotiable.
“No individual – regardless of past position, influence, or service to the nation – is above the law. If that principle weakens, our entire system of governance fails.”The DAP Sabah leader acknowledged that the unity government framework required political compromise and that national stability remained vital.
“We cannot trade the rule of law for political convenience. That is the very mindset the people voted out.”Chan reiterated that DAP’s presence in government must remain a catalyst for meaningful transformation, calling for an urgent acceleration of key institutional reforms.
These include separating the Attorney General’s prosecutorial powers from political influence, strengthening judicial independence, enhancing parliamentary oversight and embedding transparency across all levels of government.
“We know reform is difficult and that sometimes it feels like one step forward, two steps back,” he acknowledged.
“But we must grit our teeth and stay the course. If we compromise on our values now, we betray every voter who believed that a better Malaysia was possible. The people are watching and they have not forgotten,” Chan said.
