Najib Razak’s crowdfunding drive draws support and ridicule, including one-cent donations

KUALA LUMPUR: A crowdfunding drive to help former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak pay a RM50 million (US$12.26 million) court-imposed fine has drawn contributions from both supporters and detractors, as well as public outrage online.

The “Najib Razak Solidarity Fund”, organised by his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, had raised more than RM1 million last Saturday (Sep 19), about a day after it was launched. CNA has reached out to UMNO on the latest amount collected.

Supporters shared screenshots of their contributions and messages of support for the 73-year-old jailed former premier. 

But critics responded to the campaign with sarcasm, with some posting screenshots of donations as little as one cent. 

“Why donate to Najib? One of Rosmah’s handbags is much more expensive than the house we (Malaysians) live in,” said @nuyulhudayusof on social media platform Threads, referring to his wife Rosmah Mansor, with the post garnering over 14,600 likes.

The fundraising effort launched last Friday came as Malaysia’s king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar granted Najib a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison term – until Aug 23, 2028 – at home, subject to the payment of the RM50 million fine, among other conditions. 

Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar said on Monday Najib has yet to pay the fine, while Najib’s lawyers said his ability to fulfil the payment “does not lie in his own hands” as a significant part of his assets remain subject to freezing orders and enforcement proceedings.

UMNO’s crowdfunding drive is “not illegal” and there are no specific laws in Malaysia governing crowdfunding of this nature, a legal expert told CNA. 

“Any irregularities in fundraising and expenditure, would, if there is an allegation, be investigated under criminal law and a corruption allegation,” said Malaysian lawyer Andrew Khoo. 

It is unclear how the donations are currently being managed by UMNO, with no reported details on what would happen to the money collected if the amount falls short of RM50 million.

CNA has reached out to UMNO for comment. 

“PLEASE DONATE TO ME INSTEAD OF NAJIB”

Since the crowdfunding started, some netizens have posted screenshots of transfers of one cent, including transaction references to mock Najib.

These include references such as “Bapak Sakau Negara”, which translates to the “nation’s father of embezzlement” in Malay.

Some netizens also mentioned Altantuya Shaariibuu and Jho Low in their payment references, invoking two controversies that have long been associated with Najib.

Altantuya was a Mongolian model murdered in 2006 by two policemen. She was said to be the lover of former political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who advised Najib from 2000 to 2008.

Meanwhile, fugitive financier Jho Low was a central figure in the 1MDB scandal Najib was involved in. 

Others have also criticised the idea of ordinary Malaysians contributing towards Najib’s fine.

“Najib has not used his own money to help the rakyat (the people) but here we are using our own money to help Najib,” reads a post by Threads user @1onewolf09.

Some netizens have also posted screenshots of their own bank balances, with captions such as: “Please donate to me instead of Najib.” 

“If you think you are wasting money buying K-Pop merchandise, remember that there are those who are wasting money on Najib,” another Threads user, @rrenjunnieebutter, posted. 

Some Najib supporters took to social media to share the huge amounts they donated. 

“This is the highest point in my life, to be able to repay Datuk Seri Najib’s efforts. Worth all the effort of me working overtime,” said a Threads user, who also included an attachment of her RM4,000 donation. 

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Najib’s wife Rosmah said she was touched by efforts to raise the RM50 million, adding that the contributions came not only from Malaysia but also from abroad, including Brunei, Italy, Singapore and Canada.

“They (the donors) contacted me to express their happiness over the latest developments concerning my husband, while also expressing their intention to contribute,” she said.

“Today I realised who are the friends who have always been there for us through the good and bad times,” Rosmah added. 

Najib’s daughter Nooryana Najwa Najib said her father was touched by the donation drive.

“Daddy really did not expect so many people to be willing to contribute,” she said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Nooryana said her father had expressed the sentiment when she and her family visited him at Kajang Prison the previous day. 

Nooryana, who is also the information chief of UMNO’s young women’s wing, said she understood that the fine must first be paid to the court, which will then issue a receipt that will be handed to the prison authorities.

“Only then can the prison authorities issue instructions for the house arrest,” she said on Facebook. 

In their statement on Sunday, Najib’s lawyers at Messrs Shafee & Co. said given that a significant part of Najib’s assets remains subject to freezing orders and enforcement proceedings, "our client is presently taking advice and considering his options as to how best to give effect to the condition”.

Najib “does not wish the party, its members and supporters, or members of the public to feel burdened or obliged on his account", the statement added.

"He remains profoundly grateful to those who, entirely of their own free will and according to their respective means, have chosen to offer their support and assistance," it said. 

The solidarity fund had raised RM634,000 within the first three hours and reached RM1 million by 9.30am on Saturday. 

UMNO secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said “many contributed as little as RM10 and RM50” and urged supporters to continue giving. 

Khoo, the Malaysian lawyer, said that while foreign donations are permitted for the crowdfunding drive, compliance with anti-money laundering and exchange control regulations would be required.

“In terms of relatively large transfers domestically, information would be required about the purpose of the transfer,” he told CNA. 

A FORM OF POLITICAL MOBILISATION

The fundraising has also drawn criticism from some leaders of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, UMNO’s partner in the federal government.

Democratic Action Party (DAP) chief Anthony Loke offered to resign last Saturday as Malaysia’s Transport Minister in protest of the conditional pardon granted to Najib, which he said was “difficult to accept for DAP and many Malaysians”. 

Separately, Amanah Youth executive committee member Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda questioned why UMNO was mobilising its grassroots to help pay Najib’s fine, while Johor DAP vice-chairman Sheikh Omar Ali likened the move to asking villagers to help pay a fine for misusing their money. 

“Money from the villagers’ own pockets was misused but now those villagers are being asked to help pay the fine from their own pockets,” Sheikh Omar said in a Facebook post.

“What kind of lesson is this that we are teaching the people?”

 Political experts say that UMNO’s crowdfunding initiative is a form of political mobilisation and “an attempt to show to the public that the party still has a robust grassroots machinery”.

“If they fail, (it not only) shows that the grassroots machinery is not as strong as before, but it may also weaken UMNO’s bargaining power with Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Wawasan,” said Adib Zalkapli of Viewfinder Global Affairs, referring to negotiations on collaborations between the parties in upcoming state elections. 

James Chin, an Asian studies professor at the University of Tasmania, compared UMNO’s crowdfunding drive for Najib with PAS’ practice of raising money from its party members and grassroots supporters through its “Milo tin” funds, which party leaders have said helped finance its activities and election campaigns. 

“Part of the reason why they want to play this game is because they saw how successful PAS is in mobilising its supporters … so UMNO is going to replicate that,” Chin told CNA. 

Local media reported on Wednesday that under the house arrest arrangement, Najib will live alone under strict supervision by the Prisons Department, with family visits restricted.

Najib’s lawyer Hasnal Rezua Merican said the Langgak Duta house was chosen because no family members currently live there, reported Utusan Malaysia