Najib crowdfunds to pay off S$15.6 million fine, some M'sians donate 1 sen (S$0.003) in disgust

Najib has begun crowdfunding money from Malaysians in a bid to avoid jail.

The former prime minister of Malaysia, who is 73 this year, was recently granted permission to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest, reported Reuters.

As part of the terms, Najib must pay a RM50 million (S$15.6 million) fine.

He has turned to the public to raise the money, beginning his crowdfunding efforts on Sep. 19 2026.

Fundraiser

The pardons board, which was chaired by the Agong (King) of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor, decreed the conditional pardon on Sep. 18 2026.

Following the announcement, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Najib's political party, released posts on social media calling for supporters to rally around Najib.

Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, the general secretary of UMNO, shared UMNO's bank details and encouraged supporters to donate to help Najib pay off the fine.

According to a subsequent Facebook post by Asyraf, the fund collected RM634,562 (S$198,499) in the first three hours.

He added that most donors gave sums between RM10 to RM50 (S$3.10 to S$15.60).

Fundraiser necessary

The New Straits Times reported that Najib's lawyers have put out a media release to explain why the fundraiser was necessary.

As per their statement, a significant part of Najib's assets and monies are currently frozen while government proceedings are ongoing.

He is therefore unable to pay off the fine with his own money.

They also said that Najib does not want to make the public feel "burdened or obliged" that they should donate.

He is reportedly "profoundly grateful" to those who have assisted him.

Pushback

The fundraiser move has come with a slew of criticism.

Najib's detractors have responded to the fundraiser by donating RM0.01 (S$0.0031) and posting the transfer receipts online.

One Facebook user, James Chin, shared his 1 sen transfer to UMNO with the recipient note, "Free my boi Najib".

In the caption, he also wrote, "Lets all support BossKu". "Bossku", meaning "my boss", is a slang term referring to Najib.

Chin is a political commentator on Malaysian affairs, and has been largely critical of UMNO and Najib in the past.

Other users made transfers with the remarks "Bapak Sakau Negara", meaning "the nation's father of embezzlement".

Political fallout

Aside from the controversy in Malaysian civil society, Najib's pardon has generated a strong response from politicians.

Malaysia's transport minister, Anthony Loke, has offered his resignation over the matter, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

He said that his party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), could not accept the decision.

This move came in response to the growing backlash against Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition for forming a government with UMNO, its rivals.

The DAP is currently part of the PH alliance.

Sheikh Omar Ali, the vice-chairman of the DAP's Johor chapter, criticised the pardon on Facebook and the resulting public response.

"The money from the villagers' pockets is misused, and from the villagers' pockets they are asked to help pay the fine...

What level of knowledge is this that is being taught to the people?"

According to CNA, Anwar has stressed that while he was able to provide advice on the matter, the power to grant a pardon ultimately rests with the Agong.

He emphasised that the conditional pardon would not negate the other ongoing legal proceedings against Najib.

SCMP has reported that the PH coalition is facing internal strife over not just Najib's pardon, but also their recent electoral losses to UMNO.

While PH and UMNO currently form a unity government, the rift between the two parties are deepening.

During the 2026 Johor state elections in July, the Barisan Nasional (BN), UMNO's alliance, secured a landslide win against PH, leading pundits to remark that a resurgence of UMNO in Malaysian national politics might follow.