July 9, 2026
KUALA LUMPUR – A row over a possible pardon for Najib Razak has overshadowed Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Johor campaign, days before the state goes to the polls on July 11.
The controversy erupted after Nazifuddin Najib, Langkawi UMNO chief and the son of the convicted former prime minister, suggested that a big BN win would signal public support for his father’s release.
“If we win big, it will send a signal that (Johor voters) still cherish Bossku and hope that Bossku can be with the people,” he told reporters during a BN dialogue in Kluang on July 2, using Najib’s populist nickname among supporters, meaning “my boss”.
“If we need to win in order to free Najib, then let’s win big to prove that the people still love Najib and want him to be released. Anyone who loves Najib should continue voting for BN so that we can ensure Bossku can come out,” he said.
The remark, and the backlash it triggered, has raised questions over whether the Johor election – initially slated to deliver a comfortable victory for BN – has inadvertently become a proxy referendum on Najib’s fate.
Although Nazifuddin acknowledged that any pardon remains solely the prerogative of the King, some politicians have seized on the remark as evidence that BN is seeking a public mandate for Najib’s release, while senior UMNO figures moved quickly to distance themselves from the comment.
It comes amid speculation that Najib could receive a royal pardon as early as mid-July, though neither the palace nor the government has publicly indicated that any decision is imminent.
Coalition under strain
The prospect of a royal pardon has become politically sensitive not only within UMNO but also inside the federal unity government, where some leaders have warned that Najib’s release could test the coalition’s cohesion.
The topic of Najib’s pardon has long divided the federal government coalition, of which BN is a member.
On June 30, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said he would resign from the Cabinet if Najib were freed. He also suggested that his Democratic Action Party (DAP) would withdraw from the government if this were to happen.
This drew a swift rebuke from UMNO deputy president Mohamad Hasan, who challenged the DAP leader to step down immediately.
Meanwhile, former DAP assemblywoman Marina Ibrahim, who quit politics in May, alleged in a Facebook post on July 1 that a senior DAP leader had privately backed house arrest and a post-election royal pardon for Najib while publicly opposing the move, saying the episode caused her to lose faith in politics.
Long regarded as UMNO’s political heartland, Johor has often served as a barometer of Malay political sentiment and BN’s organisational strength.
A resounding victory would reinforce the perception that the coalition’s resurgence remains firmly on track ahead of the next general election. Conversely, a weaker-than-expected performance would invite scrutiny over whether its recovery is beginning to plateau.
Amid this coalition friction, BN’s campaign had focused largely on Johor’s economic performance, foreign investment, infrastructure development and political stability, while also attacking the Chinese-dominated DAP, a key member of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
Now, attention has turned to Najib, a figure who continues to loom over Malaysia’s political landscape nearly four years after entering prison in 2022. Few politicians command the loyalty that Najib still enjoys among the party’s grassroots.
Yet the same politician remains deeply divisive among urban voters, younger Malaysians and reform-minded citizens.
UMNO MP Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also Najib’s cousin, rejected Nazifuddin’s suggestion that election results could be linked to the royal pardon process.
The pardon process and the electoral process are separate matters, he said.
“To try and link the two together is not very logical,” he told reporters on July 4.
UMNO information chief and de facto Law Minister Azalina Othman Said also said on July 7 that the state elections could not be used as a platform to secure the release of any individual.
“There is no law stating that an election can free anyone,” she told a news conference.
Meanwhile, Anwar and PH have seized on the opportunity to reframe the state election, which has so far appeared to favour BN.
Campaigning in Johor, he argued that PH had been forced into an unnecessary early election because certain political forces wanted eventually to secure Najib’s release.
Anwar said that there was no reason for the state election to have been called early.
“But we know that these parties feel they are strong enough to come back to power and free Najib. Which is why PH was dragged into this election,” he said at a rally in Serom on July 6.
Possible fallout from Johor polls
Most analysts expect BN to retain a comfortable advantage, reflecting its entrenched grassroots and Johor’s longstanding position as one of UMNO’s strongest states.
But the controversy could reshape the campaign’s final week by energising opposition supporters and persuading some undecided voters to turn out.
Ariel Tan, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told The Straits Times the issue could help mobilise PH’s traditional support base, particularly Chinese voters and urban progressives.
“It is an issue for PH supporters – Chinese and urban progressive Malaysians,” she said.
Similarly, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities director Mazlan Ali said that the controversial topic could add momentum to PH’s campaign in Johor.
According to him, middle-class Malay and Indian voters, as well as “almost 100 per cent” of Chinese voters in Johor, dislike issues related to integrity.
“The statement has disappointed these groups,” he told ST. “If voter turnout is high, there is a possibility that PH will pose a strong challenge to BN in Johor,” he said.
Convicted in the SRC International case linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, Najib’s original 12-year jail term was halved by the Pardons Board in 2024.
He continues to appeal against a separate conviction involving Malaysian state fund 1MDB, which saw him sentenced in December 2025 to 15 years’ jail and fined more than RM13 billion (S$4.1 billion).