Son of Former Malaysian PM likens Najib’s Incarceration to Mandela’s Journey
The son of Najib Razak, Malaysia’s former prime minister now imprisoned for corruption, has drawn a parallel between his father’s experience and that of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president.
During a Solidarity for Najib rally in Pekan, Pahang, on Sunday, September 4, Mohd Nizar Najib compared his father’s ordeal with Mandela’s imprisonment for opposing apartheid. He emphasised that both faced significant trials in their respective political journeys.
“Just like Mandela, who was incarcerated for opposing apartheid and later became president, Najib too is enduring similar trials,” Nizar stated, according to Malaysiakini.
Nizar also expressed his belief that “God will not burden His believers beyond their capacity,” urging Najib’s supporters to remain resilient in the face of the challenges brought by his father’s imprisonment.
He added that Najib’s time in prison might be part of a divine plan to elevate him to a “higher level,” and he was confident that Najib would emerge from this ordeal stronger. Reflecting on the 2018 general election loss, which marked the first time in 60 years that the Barisan Nasional coalition was defeated, Nizar remarked that few politicians could recover after experiencing such global disgrace.
Nizar further commended his father for enduring the “relentless pressure” from the courts, saying that most individuals in a similar situation would likely have “lost their sanity or fallen into a coma.”
He also highlighted the unwavering loyalty of the people in Pekan, claiming that the strong turnout at the event demonstrated the lasting affection and support for Najib, who had served as their MP for 46 years.
Najib Razak was imprisoned on August 23 after exhausting all legal appeals, and he is currently serving a 12-year sentence alongside a RM210 million (S$65.1 million) fine. Despite his incarceration, he remains the MP for Pekan, having petitioned for a royal pardon. Should the petition be denied by the Malaysian king, Najib will lose his parliamentary seat.
On September 4, Najib was hospitalised for an undisclosed illness following two weeks in jail. His daughter, Nooryana Najwa, later revealed that her father has been dealing with stomach issues for years and was hospitalised in 2021 due to internal bleeding from stomach ulcers.
