Azalina Othman says elections are not a means to free prisoners, as pardon power rests solely with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
PUTRAJAYA: Elections cannot be used as a channel to free any individual who is serving a prison sentence, said UMNO information chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
Azalina, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), said there is no law stating that elections can be used to release any particular individual.
Instead, she said the power to grant pardons lies solely with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“There is no law stating that elections can free anyone. What is happening today (pardons) is the power of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. It has nothing to do with politics,” she said at a press conference after attending the National Cyber Security Summit (NCSS) 2026 here today.
She was commenting on claims by several parties during the Johor state election campaign that a Barisan Nasional (BN) victory could lead to the release of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
On the Johor polls, Azalina said the BN election machinery was actively campaigning in an organised and structured manner, focusing on the people’s priorities and local issues in the state.
“BN is a long-established political party, and the way we campaign is to focus largely on the priorities of the people in the state.
“We have a foster family programme involving teams from other states, which also helps improve our campaign focus on local issues,” she said.
BN is contesting all 56 seats in the Johor election, polling for which is on Saturday.
