Our own January 6 rally has come to an end with the court of appeal granting a bid by jailed ex-premier Najib Razak to see the document that he claimed should allow him to serve his sentence at home.
Let's see who the winners and losers of this outcome are.
First, let us see the winners.
1. Najib
The first and most obvious winner is obviously Najib himself. The court of appeal ruling is exactly what he wanted, and though it has not led him to be released from prison and serve the remainder of his sentence in house arrest, the decision of the court is an indication that it is his version of the story that might be upheld as the official version in the days to come.
Despite today being a day of victory for Najib, whether Najib’s victory today will amount to more than a Pyrrhic victory is yet to be seen. According to lawyers, even without the Addendum, Najib could be released from prison as early as 2026 on good behaviour. 2026 is just one year away. If it has taken one year for Najib's issue with the royal addendum to come to this far, we have every reason to believe that the final resolution to his matter might only be answered after Najib is released, when it no longer requires an answer.
Considering that, although technically, today was a day of victory for Najib, looking at the effort, attention and resources his team and him might have poured into the endeavour, and considering that their effort might only bear fruit when it wouldn’t matter whether it bore fruit or not, we can probably say with a degree of certainty, that though Najib won this battle, it might not really do much to change the outcome of the war.
2. Pas
2 years has been a long time for Pas. In 2022, in the aftermath of GE 15, Pas emerged as the party with the largest number of parliament seats in the country. Together with its coalition PN, Pas has even come within a hairbreadth to rule in Putrajaya. Despite losing the Battle of Putrajaya to PH in a nail biting contest, the “Green Wave” that the contest generated, gave Pas such a huge boost, that for nearly two years, Pas posed such a huge threat to the reign of the unity government, that it seemed like it was only a matter of time and conditions, for it to seize Putrajaya from PH.
By the end of 2024 however, a string of setbacks and poor decisions, as well as the skills and acumen of Anwar Ibrahim and his unity government, had caused Pas’s Green Wave to lose its potency, to the point that today, Pas has likely given up on its campaign to topple the unity government before its time, and is likely having serious trouble with its coalition partner, Bersatu.
The solidarity for Najib rally that Pas organised, ostensibly for the former leader of its greatest opponent, Umno, however, is likely the first major victory that Pas has managed to conjure up against the unity government for months if not a year.
That it was Pas that is seen to have stood up for Najib, who is increasingly being seen as the only Malay leader that can stand toe-to-toe with Anwar, is a PR coup by Pas. In one fell swoop, the unexpected move by Pas to stand for the former leader of UMNO, when UMNO itself had backed away from it, has managed to make Pas appear as the undisputed party that represents the Malay interest in the nation today.
Now let us see the losers.
1. UMNO
By right, UMNO should have been the main organisers of the Solidarity for Najib rally held in Putrajaya today.
That Umno Youth leader, Akmal Saleh is likely the only major UMNO leader that joined the solidarity for Najib rally held in Putrajaya today, which is largely seen as being organised by Pas, is certainly an embarrassment for Umno.
Regardless of whether Najib is innocent or not, he was the former president of Umno. Various pezzonovante in Umno, including the current numero uno, Zahid Hamidi, have repeatedly professed their undivided sympathies and loyalties for their incarcerated former president on numerous occasions. Najib is also a very popular figure in Umno.
That despite all this, Umno was conspicuous in its absence in the Jan 6 rally for Najib today, must definitely be counted as a loss for Umno.
2. Muhyiddin Yassin
Although Bersatu had joined its counterpart in PN, Pas, in the January 6 rally for Najib, Muhyiddin, the President of Bersatu, was missing in action.
One can probably understand the quandary that Muhyiddin is in. In 2015, Muhyiddin was sacked from his position as the Deputy Prime Minister for speaking up against Najib on the matter of the 1MDB scandal, which is the reason that Najib is in jail today. Najib was convicted of the charges he is serving today under Muhyiddin’s watch as the Prime Minister.
Considering all that, it probably would have been near impossible for Muhyiddin to seek Najib’s release from prison today.
Despite his predicament however, that Muhyiddin was unable to show up to an event that is arguably the most high profile victory that PN, the coalition which he is the chairman of, has had against the unity government for months if not a year, does not bode well for Muhyiddin.
There have already been serious attempts to dethrone him as the head of PN, and install someone from Pas to replace him, and his absence today, will likely only fuel the desire further.
3. Hannah Yeoh
Two Dap ministers, Nga Kor Ming and Hannah Yeoh, are in the line of fire by Pas recently. Prior to the January 6 rally, Pas had also co-organised a rally against Nga Kor Ming and Hannah, over charges that they are “disrupting the harmony of Muslims in the country.”
Buoyed by their success from the Najib Rally, Pas is likely going to train its gun on Nga Kor Ming and Hannah further, to maintain and reinforce its winning streak.
Between the two , Hannah Yeoh, the Youth and Sports Minister, looks particularly vulnerable.
As of today, the police have come out with a statement to say that they will record a statement from youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh after 157 police reports were lodged across the country about her memoir, “Becoming Hannah: A Personal Journey”.
For context, many people, like the former IGP Musa Hassan, have alleged that in her memoir, Hannah has admitted to wanting to make Malaysia a Christian nation, although Hannah herself has fiercely denied the allegations.
Politics however, is more about perceptions than it is about facts. Despite her vehement denials, the perception that there might be some truth to the allegation, is following Hannah like a ghost sitting on her shoulders.
Hannah is also particularly vulnerable, compared to Nga Kor Ming, the other DAP minister that Pas is targeting, because Hannah is arguably more popular and well known that Nga, and also because Hannah has suffered a series of bad press throughout 2024 and is seen as underperforming in her job as the youth and sports minister.
The combined effect of Malaysia underperforming in sports, an allegation that Hannah’s husband was involved in a much frowned upon dealing involving government funds, negative incidences as the one where Hannah had gotten into a spat with Malaysians for fangirling over a Thai shuttler immediately after he had defeated a Malaysian shuttler at the Olympics in Paris, together with the “trying to turn Malaysia into a Christian nation” allegation, will likely see Hannah being in the line of fire, by an opposition that has been rejuvenated by the Najib addendum affair.
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