特赦局宣布前首相纳吉的刑期减半后，在社交媒体引起议论。这项决定成了国内和国际重大新闻，多家新闻机构更形容纳吉减刑，是在首相安华被指责所承诺的反腐败改革出现倒退情况下，再添加的曲调。
英语社交媒体和WhatsApp上讨论此问题较突出群体有
●法律界人士
●非政府组织
●前任和现任议员
对于过去和现任的政治人物观点，我们可以较少关注，因他们有自己的政治议程，对他们来说，这场争议是让他们曝光的一场公关秀，反之，我们应参考其他在政治倾向上没这样明显的组织之观点，他们如何看待特赦决定的潜在影响。
对特赦事件回应的律师中，其中持批评态度者之一是前总检察长汤米汤姆斯的女儿汉娜汤姆斯，当年纳吉一马公司案的检控团队就是由汤米汤姆斯所领导。
汉娜汤姆斯认为：“特赦目的，是要证明相关囚犯值得宽大处理，因为他们接受了自己的错误行为，吸取了教训并改过了自新。但在纳吉的案件中，这些特赦申请的基本先决条件都不存在。仅此原因，特赦局就应该拒绝纳吉的申请。有关申请本质上是有缺陷的，且也不符合要求”
她进一步指出：“特赦决定的影响是严重而深远。首先，民众深感到不公义和背叛。我们信任希盟政府，我们走上街头寻求变革，但一切都是徒劳。”
退休法官苏丹哈密阿布巴卡则提出了不同的法律观点。他评论中关注的是联邦宪法下权力分立原则，他进一步说：
“在马来西亚，特赦权力，是赋予马来统治者──国家元首和苏丹，以及州元首的一项权力，根据联邦宪法和刑事诉讼法，允许统治者免除一个人的全部或部分刑事罪。
对这名显著，扮演著吹哨人的前法官，此事件的解决之道，是成立一个司法皇家调查委员会（RCI），以确保分权原则“不仅仅是一个神话”。
用他的话说：“现在是时候，马来统治者通过三权分立之上的国家元首，立即介入并设立皇家调查委员会，作为使国家恢复正常状态的第一步。归根究底，要维护社会正义就必须捍卫法治，即使这意味著这有利于杀人犯和盗贼。”
净选盟警告动员民众上街
在非马来人非政府组织的政治参与者中，最受关注的也许是净选盟。净选盟在回应声明中表达了担忧，称纳吉减刑是安华政府向“政治精英”发放的最新“奖励”。该组织认为，“这发出了一个强烈信号，即随著制度和政治改革的轨迹偏离了正轨，人们不能再保持沉默。”
净选盟警告说：“净选盟将毫不犹豫地动员人民走上街头，因为无论掌权者给出何种借口，这是那些安逸的掌权者最容易理解的语言。”
民众反应
尽管目前没有一项民调衡量马来西亚民众对纳吉减刑的反应，但有迹象显示大多数国人普遍上不关心，甚至不感兴趣。这可以从社交媒体上针对纳吉案件发布的公众请愿书中推断出来。
由“Open Mind”于2月3日发起的一份撤消纳吉赦免的英文请愿书，吸引了不到1万5000名签署者。
而另一份由净选盟于2022年8月发起，题为〈纳吉不应获特赦〉，提交于国家元首的马来文请愿书，共获得15万7516人连署，但在上周连署的只有613人。
显然，民众似乎没有兴趣就此议题走上街头。
除了社交媒体上的争论和噪音之外，纳吉减刑意义在于其对下一届大选和未来政治发展的潜在影响。
朝野政治联盟都将试图从纳吉减刑中，以及纳吉涉及的其他案件，或类似政治案件中，捞取政治利益。
此外，首相安华已成了英文社交媒体中不满特赦决定的抨击焦点。一个突出的反对声音，就是活跃的博客作者巴克里慕沙，他在最近的一篇〈安华反腐行动少了马基雅维利，多了一些实用主义〉评论中，指安华在反腐败斗争中，面临著现实和感知上的巨大障碍。
他指出：“最近王室对前首相纳吉的部分特赦并没有改变动态发展或现实状况，尽管随之而来的各种喧嚣和抨击。这次减刑只不过是一场马来皮影戏而已；一种必要但不那么有趣的消遣。”
目前，对我来说，减刑决定的关键收获是，国盟相对平静的反应，这也可视为马来人反应。到目前为止，反对党唯一发表的重大公开声明是来自土团党青年团团长袁怀绍，他呼吁特赦局解释有关决定是如何达致的，以及其考量因素，以避免民众的议论和混乱。
对他和其他国盟领袖来说，他们在评估马来人的情绪和反应后保持沉默是合理的，毕竟“各方都必须尊重由前国家元首苏丹阿都拉为主席的特赦局减轻前首相拿督斯里纳吉刑期之决定。”
林德宜《我国能从前首相纳吉减刑中受益吗？》原文：Can Malaysia benefit from Ex P M Najib’s Pardon?
Social media has been in an uproar following the announcement by the pardons board to half the jail sentence on former PM Najib Razak. This decision made the national and international news with several news agencies adding the coda that the reduction in Najib's sentence comes amid accusations that PMX Anwar Ibrahim is backsliding on promised reforms to combat corruption.
Prominent contributors in the English language social media and whatsapp chatter on this issue have been
●Members of the legal fraternity
●NGOs
●Former and currently serving politicians
Whilst less attention may be given to the views of politicians - past and present - who have their own political agenda and for whom the controversy serves as a public relations opportunity to be in the limelight, consideration needs to be given to the views of other less politically aligned groups on what they see as the potential ramifications of the pardon decision.
Contrasting Legal Eagles’ Comments
Among the legal eagles to come out with comments, one critical of the pardon is Hannah Thomas, daughter of former Attorney General Tommy Thomas who led the prosecution in the 1MDB case against Najib.
For her
“[t]he purpose of a pardon application is to demonstrate that the relevant prisoner is deserving of clemency because they accept their wrongdoing, have learnt their lessons and turned over a new leaf.
None of these essential pre-conditions to a proper pardon application exists in Najib’s case. For this reason alone, the board ought to have rejected his application. It is inherently flawed and never passed muster”
She further noted that
“The ramifications of the board’s decision are grave and immense. Firstly, there’s the stinging sense of injustice and betrayal the nation feels. We put our trust in the Harapan government, we marched on the streets for change and it has all been for nought.”
A different legal point of view is provided by Sultan Hamid Abu Backer, a retired judge. In his comment which draws on the separation of powers doctrine enshrined in the nation’s constitution, he clarified that
Pardon in Malaysia is a power given to the Malay rulers – the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the sultans – as well as the governors, under the Federal Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows them to relieve a person from all or some of the legal consequences of a criminal conviction.
For him, as a noteworthy whistle blowing judge, the way forward in this case is a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on the judiciary so as to ensure that the doctrine of the separation of powers is “more than a myth”
In his words:
“The time has come for the Malay rulers, who through the Yang di-Pertuan Agong preside over all three branches of government, to step in and immediately call for the RCI to be convened as a first step towards setting the country back on its proper course.
At the end of the day, proponents of social justice must stand up for the rule of law, even if it means favouring murderers and kleptocrats”.
Bersih’s Warning on Mobilising People
Among the non-Malay NGO stake players in politics perhaps the most publicly visible is Bersih. Bersih’s response in its press statement expressed concern that the reduced sentence was the latest “reward” doled out by Anwar’s administration to “political elites”. The organisation argued that “[t]his situation sends a strong signal that the people can no longer remain silent, as the trajectory for institutional and political reform in the country veers off course.”
The NGO ended with this warning:
“Bersih will not hesitate to mobilise the people to take to the streets, as this is the language best understood by those comfortably in power, regardless of the various excuses given.”
Malaysian Public Opinion on Najib’s Pardon
Although no opinion polls are available to gauge the response of the Malaysian public to the reduction in penalty for the case, there is some indication that most Malaysians are generally unconcerned, or even disinterested. This can be deduced in the public petitions posted on Najib’s case in social media.
An English language petition to cancel Najib’s pardon started on 3rd February by “Open Mind” has drawn less than 15,000 signatories.
Another petition in the Malay language by Bersih addressed to the Agong and titled “Najib Tidak Wajar Diampunkan” started in August 2022 has drawn a total of 157,516 signatories with only 613 supporters during the last week.
It does not appear that there is any public appetite for a demonstration on this issue.
Other Takes
Away from the exchange and noise in the social media, what is important in this case is its potential impact on the country’s next general election and longer term political future.
Both coalitions will attempt to benefit electorally from the developments in this and other cases involving Najib and similar political cases currently being pursued and in the making.
Meanwhile PMX has become a lightning rod for the mostly negative English social media reaction to the pardon. A standout dissenting voice is that of M. Bakri Musa, activist blogger, who in a recent commentary, “Anwar’s Anti-Corruption Crusade Is Less Machiavellian, More Pragmatism”, points out that Anwar faces formidable obstacles, real as well as perceptual, in his fight against corruption. He also noted:
“The recent royal partial pardon for former Prime Minister Najib Razak does not alter the dynamics or reality, the ensuing hullabaloo and explosive diarrhea of commentaries notwithstanding. That pardon was but mere Malay shadow play; a needed but not-so-entertaining distraction.”
For now what is for me a key takeaway of the pardon decision is the relatively quiet reaction by the Perikatan coalition as it assesses Malay response. The only significant public statement to emerge from the opposition so far is that of Bersatu Youth chief, Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal who called on the Pardons Board to explain the considerations taken and how it arrived at the decision to avoid talk and confusion among the people.
To him and other Perikatan leaders - justifying their deafening silence whilst they are appraising the Malay mood and judgement - “All quarters must respect the decision of the Pardons Board which was chaired by the former Yang Dipertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah, to reduce the sentence of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.”
