Umno leader defends king's conditional pardon for Najib as a constitutional right

Speaking after a parliamentary celebration in Kota Tinggi, Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin defended the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's decision to issue a conditional pardon to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. He argued that pardons, even in death-penalty or life-sentence cases, have historically been accepted and are a constitutional right of the monarch. Khaled warned that any party questioning this authority would be overstepping.

He clarified that the pardon should not be linked to broader attempts at Malay political unity, which he said remain a separate electoral concern. Regarding the Tabung Solidariti Najib Razak, he said the fund reflects Umno's sympathy, having raised roughly RM1 million toward a RM50 million goal to support Najib's house-arrest fine.