PM Anwar hits back at claims he defied King over Najib’s house arrest controversy

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied allegations that he or the government had acted against the wishes of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia over the issue of implementing house arrest for former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. — Bernama pic

First Published: Friday, 13 Nov 2026 8:48 AM MYT

MELAKA, Nov 13 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied allegations that he or the government had acted against the wishes of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia over the issue of implementing house arrest for former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman said his administration had always upheld the constitutional monarchy system and adhered to established legal processes.

Anwar said the decision to place him under house arrest did not fall within his authority as Prime Minister, while the Attorney-General’s decision to bring the matter to court aligned with his responsibility to uphold the rule of law.

“They accused me of being disloyal to the King. I am the Prime Minister, and the King called me this afternoon. We have a good relationship.

“…Datuk Seri Najib has been in prison for four years; to allow him to serve his sentence under house arrest is not within my authority. My authority is governed by the law,” he said at the “Ngopi Santai” programme held in conjunction with the 16th Melaka state election in Ayer Molek here yesterday.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Tuesday ordered Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in the SRC International case under house arrest at his residence in Langgak Duta here, with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, Anwar said sound governance, free from leakages and corruption, had enabled the government to channel various forms of assistance directly to the people.

He said this included an allocation of RM16 billion for the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programmes, RM18 billion for this year’s public service salary adjustment, as well as RM200 in schooling assistance next year.

At the programme, Anwar also urged voters in the Ayer Molek state constituency to give PH candidate Muhammad Hakimin a chance to serve as their elected representative in Saturday’s 16th Melaka state election. — Bernama