How a remark about Najib’s pardon just blew Malaysia’s Johor state election wide open

Asia - South China Morning Post · Jul 10, 2026

Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional (BN), the dominant political coalition in Johor, might have expected to cruise to an easy victory come Saturday when the southern state goes to the polls – until a single remark from the son of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak suddenly gave its rivals political ammunition. On July 3, Nazifuddin Najib, who heads BN in Langkawi, suggested that a strong showing by the coalition would validate calls for his father’s pardon. “If we win big, it will send a signal...