"The stupidest thing ever" - UM Student Goes Viral Over Bold Remark on Donations to Najib

A student representative from a local Malaysian university has gone viral after making a bold statement about public donations to former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Ummi Umairah Bakhit, a student representative from Universiti Malaya (UM), raised the issue during a dialogue session 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 (WTCKL).

During her remarks, Ummi Umairah referenced several high-profile corruption-related controversies in Malaysia, including the Tabung Haji (TH) issue and allegations involving a politician's son who allegedly amassed RM4 million despite not actively working.

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She then questioned why members of the public were willing to contribute to Najib Razak's fundraising campaign following the former prime minister's conditional pardon. Under the decision, Najib was allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 2028, subject to the payment of the RM50 million fine imposed in relation to his conviction in the SRC International case.

On 27 September, just over a week after the Najib Razak Solidarity Fund was launched, UMNO President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party had collected RM9.25 million.

"The stupidest thing I have watched in my entire life is people donating to our former prime minister, Najib Razak, someone who is linked to the globally known 1MDB corruption scandal and corruption-related offences."

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Reactions were mixed

Ummi Umairah's remarks have since been widely shared online, with many social media users praising her as "brave" for openly raising such controversial issues.

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However, not everyone agreed with her comments. Some argued that, as a student at a prominent university, Ummi Umairah should have exercised greater caution when expressing her views, particularly on matters involving national politics.

Others went further, calling on Universiti Malaya and the Ministry of Education (MOE) to take action against the student.

Featured Image Credit: @jasonyew_ | Threads, Berita Harian