KUALA LUMPUR – Senior International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali alleged that he witnessed a discussion between then-prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and a leader who sought the Bersatu president’s intervention in court cases.
In a National Recovery Council (NRC) dialogue held in Johor Baru today, Azmin said he was witness to the entire discussion between the said leader and Muhyiddin at the Pagoh MP’s house.
“I witnessed the entire discussion in Muhyiddin’s house, where he told this particular person that he will not intervene in the judiciary process. Muhyiddin told the leader to face the trials in court if he’s innocent.”
Also present at the NRC dialogue were Muhyiddin and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.
Azmin, who is also Gombak MP, said Muhyiddin’s refusal to intervene in court affairs shows that he is a respectable leader, explaining that “our country and its economy are in safe hands with leaders like this”.
In a live telecast on August 4 last year, Muhyiddin revealed there were unnamed individuals who were unhappy with him for not entertaining some of their demands, which include intervening in their trials.
While he did not mention names then, several MPs from Umno, which was previously a coalition ally in Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, are currently facing court charges.
They are Umno heayweights Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.
Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, who was once part of the “court cluster”, was acquitted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court of two criminal charges involving money laundering and giving a false statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
The term “court cluster” is generally understood to refer to the group of Umno leaders and lawmakers facing graft allegations in court.
On February 16, Muhyiddin had claimed, during a ceramah in Tangkah, Johor, that Zahid had met him to seek intervention in his ongoing court cases during the earlier days of his prime ministership.
He said Zahid had paid him a visit at his house, while bringing along piles of files related to his cases.
Two days later, Muhyiddin backed up his claims by saying that PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang and Azmin were witnesses to the event.
On February 21, Zahid responded and said he was prepared to take a “sumpah laknat” to rebut the allegations against him and challenged Muhyiddin to do the same.
A “sumpah laknat” is an oath to God taken by a Muslim to ask for divine retribution in the form of a curse against those who had lied.
Muhyiddin said it is Zahid’s right to do so if he wishes, but added he will continue to stand his ground over his claims.
“To me, I’m telling the truth. One must not lie when speaking to the rakyat. I have already named witnesses. But if he wants to take an oath, then so be it.”
Today also marks the eighth day of the campaigning period for the Johor polls and it is apparent that the rivalry between PN and Barisan Nasional (BN) has reached a new level.
The past week saw Muhyiddin and his one-time cabinet colleague and superior Datuk Seri Najib Razak trading furious blows at their respective campaigning events in the southern state.
On February 26, Najib took a swipe at Muhyiddin, saying that the PN chairman is a failure and is unfit to be Johor’s economic adviser.
In a press conference, he said that his judgement of Muhyiddin was based on the latter’s track record as prime minister, particularly his management of the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Muhyiddin openly criticised his predecessor, who is being called by his moniker “bossku”, saying the huge crowd that seem to follow Najib wherever he goes does not necessarily mean that the people have started to accept him.
He added that it could be that some people just want to see the “criminal”, saying “for me, it is embarrassing”. – The Vibes, March 5, 2022
