KUALA LUMPUR: A student representative has questioned public donations to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, raising concerns over fundraising efforts for a leader convicted in the SRC International case.
Ummi Umairah Bakhit of Universiti Malaya 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.
She expressed surprise at the public's willingness to contribute to Najib's fundraising campaign, citing the former prime minister's legal cases linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
"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 for the fund.
Ummi also referred to the Tabung Haji controversy and sought the panellists' views on corruption and political accountability.
Her questions have since attracted attention on social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, where clips of the exchange drew likes and shares.
Reactions were mixed, with some users praising her willingness to raise the issues with political leaders, while others expressed differing views.
She posed the questions during 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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