Bouquets and brickbats: Ruling gets mixed reactions in Malaysia

The Federal Court's decision yesterday to uphold former premier Najib Razak's 1MDB-linked graft conviction was widely hailed as a huge victory for Malaysians who have seen a raft of major scandals over the decades, with those seen as guilty often slipping away.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said the court's decision "proves the people are powerful and have made a decision to ensure the judiciary is free to clean the country of corruption".

Non-governmental organisation Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism described the five-judge panel's unanimous decision as "a phenomenal victory".

"Today's guilty verdict for the former prime minister serves as a testament to the efforts of whistle-blowers, media workers, civil society organisations, and members of the public who spoke up and exposed his crimes for all to see," it said.

Twitter user atame said: "It's looking to be the best Merdeka ever in Malaysia! History in opposing the Kleptocrats." Malaysia will celebrate its National Day on Aug 31.

But those in Najib's camp condemned what they claim was the court's decision to hurry the final appeal along. Umno's vice-president Mahdzir Khalid tweeted: "Justice hurried is justice buried."

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said he hoped Najib and his family would remain strong, adding that the ruling will be judged by the people.

Najib's daughter Nooryana posted on Instagram: "Maybe we didn't fight hard enough. Maybe we placed our fullest trust in our justice system... Yet you did not get your day of justice today, neither did we stand a fighting chance."

The hashtag #NajibRazak trended on Twitter yesterday, with memes about his "welcome" to prison shared on social media.