KUALA LUMPUR – “Berani kerana benar” (do right and fear nothing) – this was the message Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar-Muda) had for his Umno rivals currently embroiled in court cases.
The fervent lawmaker, who himself was slapped with corruption charges, took the Umno “court cluster” to task in a fiery speech on political stability in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He called out the party leaders who appear to be putting their personal interests ahead of the rakyat by desperately pushing for early elections in several states and possibly at the federal level, for the sake of their survival.
“I admit I have a court case too, but I am not afraid. Berani kerana benar. Face it in court, (there’s) don’t need to jump parties or threaten the government’s position,” he said when debating the royal address.
“If you are right, defend yourself in court. Don’t threaten stability to the point the rakyat and nation have to suffer, just because of a number of leaders. This is not right, and we need to fight this until the end.”
Syed Saddiq was referring to several state elections he claimed were triggered by Umno, including in Sabah, Melaka, Sarawak and most recently Johor, which will head to the polls in two days’ time.
The Muda president is facing a total of four charges involving criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds and money laundering of more than RM1 million, with his case to be heard beginning June 7.
His speech today appears to be targeted mostly at the Umno leaders who are similarly facing multiple charges of corruption.
While not mentioning names, among the more prominent leaders who have been dragged to court include Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Datuk Najib Razak.
Syed Saddiq said Umno, despite harping on political stability, has proven to act otherwise when triggering the recent state polls, a move he said has hindered government service to the people.
According to the opposition MP, among his biggest concerns is that the impact of these snap elections will be felt in many years to come, regardless which party wins in the next federal polls.
“Before this, we know that only Sarawak held their election separately. Now we have (four). Whoever wins in the coming general election will not be able to govern with stability because almost every year they will have to think about the state polls.
“How are they to govern when billions have to be spent on the elections? Whichever party comes out victorious will inherit instability because of the political crisis.” – The Vibes, March 10, 2022
