KUALA LUMPUR – In scathing remarks, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman alleged that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is normalising corruption.
“‘I will approve hundreds of thousands of aid… (as long as you) promise to vote for my party on August 12.’ Nothing to see here. Just the normalisation of corruption,” Syed Saddiq wrote in a Twitter post today.
The Muar MP’s remarks were in response to Zahid’s allocation of RM250,000 to the Terengganu Youth Council and RM200,000 to motorcycle teams across the state. During the announcement, Zahid openly urged the youth present to vote for the “blue and red wave” in the upcoming August 12 state election.
“That’s what I just (announced). After this, the prime minister will come up; he will top up, and add more, InsyaAllah. As long as on August 12, the youth will join the blue wave (BN) and the red wave (Pakatan Harapan) in the state of Terengganu,” Zahid declared.
Zahid even took a playful tone, insinuating that the more applause he received, the more “approvals” he will dish out.
This has not gone unnoticed, as electoral watchdog Bersih rebuked Zahid over the same speech. Bersih said in a statement that Zahid has violated two out of the 3C prohibitions during the election – “no campaign” and “no conditions”. The third prohibition refers to “no candidates”.
Accordingly, Bersih called upon Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to rein in his cabinet members and heads of federal agencies to prevent any further policy announcements or provisions that breach the 3C prohibitions.
“There should be no special announcements targeted at states facing polls to attract support. Of course, there cannot be any candidates in any announcement ceremony. Any previous conditional announcements, including Zahid’s statement in Terengganu, must be cancelled immediately.
“Anwar and the Madani government must remember that this violation of 3C will affect the credibility of Madani’s ideas, as it will be seen as party propaganda and not a policy vision for the whole country,” Bersih said.
The group had earlier proposed the 3C ban on July 20 as a guideline for the federal government and state governments facing the polls. – The Vibes, July 29, 2023
