How Najib Weaponized Shame to Rehabilitate His Image

Why is Najib still so popular? This is a question that has fascinated many Malaysians since UMNO-BN’s defeat in 2018. I mean, how did former Prime Minister Najib Razak rehabilitate his image and preserve his relevance within the political sphere, despite being plagued by numerous corruption scandals and charges? 

Recently, Dr Benjamin Loh, Vilashini Somiah & Sarah Ali wrote a paper titled Shame and shamelessness: Changing discourses in Najib Razak’s social media campaign. It is a quick and fascinating read into the strategies deployed by Najib to paint himself as a good man, wronged by the system. Dr Ben joins us on the show to discuss. 

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