Fong said Najib’s release would be difficult to reconcile with DAP’s long-standing position on clean government, institutional reform and accountability.
PETALING JAYA: A senior Kuala Lumpur DAP leader has called on the party to reconsider its position in the Cabinet if former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is released from prison without serving a sentence he considers commensurate with his convictions.
Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur DAP treasurer Ben Fong Kok Seng made the call following reports that the Federal Territories Pardons Board is scheduled to meet tomorrow to consider Najib’s latest clemency application.
Fong said the constitutional process, including the powers vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, must be fully respected regardless of the outcome.
However, he argued that respecting the constitutional process did not oblige DAP to set aside its political principles.
He noted that DAP delegates at the party’s recent convention had given its leadership a clear mandate to remain in government until the end of the current parliamentary term.
However, he said that mandate was given based on the circumstances at the time, which he believed would fundamentally change if Najib were released without serving what he regarded as a proportionate sentence.
“In my view, it would then be untenable for DAP to remain in the Cabinet. This is a red line that we cannot cross,” he said.
Fong pointed to Najib’s legal history, noting that his conviction in the SRC International case was upheld by the Federal Court.
Najib was also convicted by the High Court on 25 additional charges linked to 1MDB funds and sentenced to another 15 years in prison. The conviction remains under appeal.
Fong said Najib’s release would be difficult to reconcile with DAP’s long-standing position on clean government, institutional reform and accountability.
He said the issue was not the legitimacy of the constitutional pardons process, which he agreed must be respected, but whether remaining in the Cabinet under such circumstances would compromise the principles DAP had consistently championed.
Fong said his position echoed that of DAP vice-chairman Nga Kor Ming, who had previously indicated that he would be willing to resign from the Cabinet if Najib were released without serving an appropriate sentence.
However, Fong stressed that a Cabinet exit would not necessarily mean the collapse of the Madani government.
He said DAP could continue supporting the administration from outside the Cabinet, allowing it to preserve political stability while continuing to push for institutional reforms, including limiting the prime minister’s tenure and separating the roles of Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor.
“But stability cannot become an excuse for accepting everything. Political leaders must recognise that some lines cannot be crossed,” he said.
Fong stressed that his statement reflected his personal views as a grassroots DAP member and did not represent the official position of the Federal Territory DAP chapter or the party at any level.
