DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said this was especially so for those who voted for change in 2018.

It was also a win for the democratic system of the country, he said.

“The decision serves as a warning to political leaders who had been given the mandate to never abuse their power to enrich themselves,” the Seremban MP said in a Facebook post.

Loke said the fact that a powerful individual could be toppled by the “rakyat” and brought to justice was a “new beginning for Malaysia”.

On July 28, 2020, Najib was convicted on all seven charges and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM210 million. The Federal Court upheld that decision today.

PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil told FMT that the decision today was a reminder that the opposition’s victory in 2018 mattered. The choice of the people, the Lembah Pantai MP added, had been validated.

“The people’s power can never be belittled. Never look down on the power of ordinary Malaysians,” he said when contacted.

Charles Santiago, meanwhile, thanked the bench, especially Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, for not wavering despite the delay tactics, attempts to have her recused and the threats to her life.

“It’s a good day today,” he told FMT.

The Klang MP went on to say that while history would remember the five-member bench, it would also not forget the behaviour of Najib’s lawyers who had abused the court process to buy time.

“The Bar Council must investigate them for misconduct.”

Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub welcomed the court decision, adding it would restore the rakyat’s confidence in the country’s rule of law.

He hoped that leaders in Umno and Barisan Nasional would learn a lesson from today’s court decision, and take issues of corruption and abuse of power seriously.

“If they still continue with this kind of culture and attitude, the people of this country will judge them in the next election,” he said when contacted.