Commentary: Najib Razak’s new bid for home arrest leaves Malaysia in a political funk | USAEMALL.com

CAPITALISING ON UNCERTAINTY

As Malaysia watches this political drama unfold, will Najib, who once stood at the pinnacle of power, engineer a comeback that reshapes the country’s political landscape? Or will his bid for house arrest prove to be his final act on the Malaysian political stage?

Najib appears to be capitalising on the uncertainty. Chaos can be the perfect breeding ground for messianic returns in politics, particularly in times of crisis, and Najib knows this.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Najib carefully orchestrated his public image, steering conversations on economic issues on social media platforms. He rode on resentment on the ground, criticising the government of the day for playing down the effects of the outbreak and dismissing a possible economic downturn.

During a meeting with then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, he was praised as being “committed to contributing his time, energy and ideas as a team for the sake of the Malaysian Family”.

Despite his legal troubles, many still view his tenure as a period of relative prosperity.

While Malaysia’s economic indicators have been improving – advance estimates on Friday (Jan 17) show GDP rose 5.1 per cent in 2024 over 2023’s 3.6 per cent – stagnant wages, underemployment and a lack of high-paying jobs reflect growth constraints.

Though not unique to Malaysia, history is replete with examples of leaders making comebacks during times of chaos and economic disarray.

The United States’ November election is yet another example of how, in times of uncertainty, people often gravitate to familiar figures who represent a connection to a more stable past, real or imagined.

For Najib, this global tendency towards nostalgia could prove to be a powerful tool in his bid for political redemption, potentially paving the way for a dramatic return to the forefront of Malaysian politics.

Dr Sophie Lemiere is a political anthropologist who specialises in Malaysian and Southeast Asian politics, and has held research and teaching positions in major universities across Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia. She is currently Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, as well as Research Fellow at College de France in Paris.