BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Bigger Picture  >  Beyond The Ballot Box  >  Is the Government Going Too Soft on Najib?

Is the Government Going Too Soft on Najib?

Pushpan Murugiah, CEO, Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4)

04-Feb-25 15:00

Is the Government Going Too Soft on Najib?

In an interview with the Financial Times, when asked about the reduced prison sentence for former Prime Minister Najib Razak, current Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that he does not wish for Najib to suffer in “hell” as he once did. This is of course amidst ongoing conversations on the possibility that Najib could be granted house arrest for the rest of his sentence, although it has to be said that such laws do not yet exist in Malaysia. 

In response to that, the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism released a statement recently saying “enough is enough! Why has the tone of the Madani government been so sympathetic to Najib Razak? Have they forgotten the sheer scale of his crimes?”

So, has the MADANI government, led by Prime Minister Anwar, forgotten its reformist roots or is it just smart and meticulous politicking to manage the political climate and maintain stability? 

We speak to Pushpan Murugiah, who’s the CEO of Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4). 


In this episode,we discuss:

  • The framing of Najib's reduced sentence as a human rights issue.

  • The political challenges faced by the MADANI government. How to strike a balance between navigating a large coalition of varying interests and being steadfast in executing the anti-corruption agenda.

  • Why the Prime Minister and his team must communicate with the people in a more transparent way.

  • Does Malaysia need a 1977 Hong Kong-style Amnesty? In 1977, Hong Kong’s newly established ICAC granted amnesty for past corruption to quell police resistance, allowing strict anti-corruption enforcement moving forward.

  • The three key areas of reform the government must implement.

Produced by: Dashran Yohan

Presented by: Dashran Yohan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  politics,  government,  corruption

Tags:  corruption,  anti-corruption,  anwar ibrahim,  najib razak,  1mdb,  src,  madani,  attorney-general’s chambers,  public prosecutor,  reformasi,  institutional reform, 


Latest Podcasts




Play / Pause

Listen now : BFM 89.9 -- The Business Station

Today’s Shows



11:00 AM

Best of Enterprise

(REPEAT) Venon Tian, Group COO of ZUS Coffee, joins BFM Open For Business to decode the strategy behind the disruption in the F&B industry.

12:00 PM

Just For Kicks

(REPEAT) Love is not in the air, as Spurs and Forest said goodbye to their respective managers, Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche. We respond to the news and look ahead to the fourth round of the FA Cup!

1:00 PM

A Bit of Culture

(REPEAT) Azmyl Yunor and Ong Kar Jin join Kam Raslan on this episode of A Bit of Culture to talk about espionage, crafts and art, and lo-fi!

2:00 PM

Ringgit & Sense

(REPEAT) Dr Cheng, Feng Shui Master shares his thoughts on how the different zodiacs will do this year.

2:30 PM

The Property Show

(REPEAT) Dr. YM Cheng, Founder and Principal Consultant of ChineseZodiacFengshui.com, discusses Fengshui outlook for Commercial and Residential properties for the upcoming Year of the Horse.

3:00 PM

Best of The Bigger Picture

(REPEAT) Without aged care in place, family members - especially women - will sink under the burden of caregiving. We look at the social, economic and gender implications of the care economy.

4:00 PM

Best of Evening Edition

(REPEAT) This episode of Stories of KL explores the story of The Zhongshan Building, and the people and passions that keep it evolving in unexpected ways.

5:00 PM

BBC World Service

Prof. Amilra Prasanna De Silva talks to Jim Al-Khalili about his passion for engineering molecules and how his photochemical innovations have since crossed into computer science.