Are Najib, Zahid using Umno to escape prison, asks Bersatu info chief

KUALA LUMPUR – A Bersatu leader has questioned if Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak are merely using Umno to “escape prosecution”, while challenging opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to reveal the “deal” he made.

Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan in a statement said Anwar should reveal the deal he offered Zahid and Najib that led them to “sabotage the unity among Malay parties and replace it with a new alignment”.

He also calls the move by Zahid and Najib as “catastrophic”, following Umno veteran Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz’s recent “reveal”.

“I am shocked by Nazri’s revelation that Zahid holds a personal grudge against (Prime Minister) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. This is a big revelation.

“Zahid and Najib are faced with possibilities of going to jail.

“Is it possible that they sought Muhyiddin’s help to interfere in their court cases, but the prime minister refused?

“Could it be that Muhyiddin’s integrity in defending the independence of the court is the real reason why Zahid and Najib are targeting him?”

Umno is an old party with many grassroots members who sincerely fight for race, religion and country, he added.

Earlier, The Vibes reported that friction between the Zahid-Najib camp, which is against Muhyiddin and Perikatan Nasional, and those wanting to maintain ties with the ruling coalition took centre stage at the recent Umno Supreme Council meeting.

The heated exchanges mainly revolved around Umno’s current predicament in playing second fiddle to the PN government, despite it being the lynchpin in Barisan Nasional and most dominant party in Malaysia, until it was toppled from power in the 2018 general election.

The detractors had pointed to the alleged transgressions of both individuals as being the main reasons behind the party’s current plight.

Zahid’s final push to pull the plug on PN is said to have placed Umno in an even more precarious position. Among the reasons given is that the bid is seen as an apparent attempt to destabilise the government while it is dealing with a worsening Covid-19 situation.

With its latest move, Umno risks raising the ire of the public, who already have a negative sentiment towards the country’s political landscape. – The Vibes, July 9, 2021