Najib's bid for house arrest rattles Malaysian govt

Issue stirs division in ruling coalition, but is unlikely to topple PM Anwar, experts say

- Harith Mustaffa

A bid for house arrest by jailed former Malaysian premier Najib Razak has rattled the administration of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as his opponents and the Umno faction in his multi-coalition government are exploiting the controversy for their own gain.

The issue has thrown up questions of whether the government has been "hiding" a note from the former Malaysian king that decreed Najib should serve the remainder of his prison sentence at home, while the opposition is agitating for Datuk Seri Anwar to step down for mishandling the matter.

In a panel discussion organised by the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore on Jan 9, politicians from both sides of the political divide gave differing views on the controversy.

A lawmaker from Mr Anwar's Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition believes that the opposition has lost its "last chance" of toppling the administration by using the Najib house-arrest issue.

This last chance is the rally attended by thousands of people on Jan 6 outside the appeals court in Putrajaya where Najib's case was being heard.

"I think Jan 6 was probably the last possible venue for the opposition to grab power, thank God it's done," Selangor PH lawmaker Wong Chen told the panel discussion titled "Malaysia - Madani at the Mid-Term: Closing Window for Reform?", part of ISEAS' annual Regional Outlook Forum in Singapore.