KUALA LUMPUR: A Universiti Malaya student has questioned public donations to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, describing the fundraising as "the stupidest thing" she had witnessed amid an international corruption case.
Universiti Malaya student representative Ummi Umairah Bakhit raised the issue during a dialogue with former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
"The stupidest thing I have watched in my entire life is people donating to our former Prime Minister, Najib Razak, someone who clearly has a worldwide corruption case, 1MDB, and is clearly linked to corruption," she said.
The Najib Razak Solidarity Fund was set up on Sept 18 following the Federal Territories Pardons Board's announcement that Najib had been granted a conditional pardon.
Under the decision, Najib was allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house detention until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of the RM50 million fine imposed in connection with his conviction in the SRC International case.
On Sept 27, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party had collected RM9.25 million so far.
Meanwhile, Ummi also cited the Tabung Haji scandal and asked the panelists to explain their positions on corruption and political accountability.
Her pointed questions have since gained traction on social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, drawing dozens of likes and shares.
While many praised her courage in confronting the political leaders, others expressed differing views.
She directed her questions to the panelists at the third edition of iFUTURE, held from Oct 11 to 13, which carried the theme "Redefining Future Leaders Through Value-Based Leadership".
The summit brought together 1,231 student leaders from 20 Malaysian public universities and 30 international universities, including 406 international participants from 53 countries and 310 Johorean university students.
Organised by the Higher Education Ministry through the Department of Higher Education, the summit provided a platform for dialogue between student leaders and figures from government, industry and academia.
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