KUALA LUMPUR - He initially wanted to keep his cool but his emotions eventually betrayed him when he was assured by Umno Youth that the party would continue to fight for his father's freedom.
"That was the moment when my eyes welled up," said Datuk Nizar Mohd Najib -- the son of jailed former Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak when met by reporters at the party headquarters today.
Nizar was referring to the moment when he was seen in tears when he received the 'Anugerah Tokoh Pemuda' award earlier today on behalf of his incarcerated father, who is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
"While giving the award, the Umno Youth Chief (Dr Muhammad Akmal Salleh) told me that I should not be worried; in fact, the Umno youth wing will fight for my father to come back," Nizar recounted.
Umno Youth gave Najib the award in a bid to honour the former prime minister's contribution to the party.
The ceremony also kicked off the wing's general meeting for the year 2023.
"As a son, I appreciated all the efforts, especially from this Malay party, to defend my father, who is still serving his sentence in Kajang prison," he told the press.
Nizar, who is also a delegate of Umno Youth, added that the award has also renewed and strengthened his commitment to continue defending his father.
"We are confident that he is innocent and persecuted, and all efforts will not be stopped to defend him, and I hope that momentum will not stop or slow down.
"He is still in prison, and I hope that efforts to free and defend him will continue," Nizar hoped.
On August 23, 2022, Najib was found guilty of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering involving RM42 million belonging to SRC International.