The two former prime ministers, both now imprisoned, may have pivotal roles to play in ensuring the political stability of their nations.
The dramatic return of Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his imprisonment on charges of corruption occurred almost one year to the day that Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak became an inmate at Kajang prison, near Kuala Lumpur.
In the case of Najib, it was thought his imprisonment would make him irrelevant to contemporary politics, and he would disappear. That didn’t happen. Najib still has deep influence within Umno. Najib’s case is much more complex. There seems to be either setbacks or changes in opinion about his release by those with the power to pardon him. Although Najib was acquitted in April of audit tampering, his attempt to suspend the ongoing 1MDB trial was dismissed by the court.Both prime ministers did leave legacies from their previous time in office.
Ironically, Najib can be considered a mild reformer in government. Najib assisted the poor through handouts, initiated some economic liberalisation, and tried to transform the civil service. This is more than any other prime minister has done in the last five years. Thaksin may play this pivotal role from a platform like the Privy Council, which would give him statesmanlike stature similar to former prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda, who died in 2019.For Najib, it appears he is being kept in cold storage. Umno’s poor performance at the recent six state assembly elections has opened up discussion about the future leadership of the party.
However, many feel the time is still premature. The opportune window might be when the position of king is rotated at the end of this year.
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