‘Asyraf must stop people without integrity from joining Umno politics’

KUALA LUMPUR – Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki must be aggressive and put more pressure on preventing groups whose integrity are under question from joining Umno’s politics.

Political analyst Mohd Azam Mohd Atan stressed that doing so would show that the ideals he fights for are not merely for show.

According to him, Asyraf’s battle began when the politician spoke at the recent Umno general assembly and called on the party to immediately cleanse political culture by instilling hatred and disgust of any form of corruption, bribery, and hypocrisy.

“When commenting on the Johor excos elected yesterday, Asyraf said that six of the Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth selected to be part of the state administration had been advised to reject any form of corruption and misuse of power while carrying out their duties.

“Asyraf emphasised that they must truthfully fulfil their responsibilities with integrity by prioritising the people above themselves,” Azam told The Vibes’ sister portal Getaran today.

As such, Azam asserted that Asyraf, who is a former deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, deserves to be appointed as an anti-corruption chief in Umno to prevent bribery and misuse of power from happening among party leaders.

“What he had said is all true and he is very welcome to eradicate bribery in the nation to its roots.

“The only question is: have Asyraf’s words been ignored by the ‘court cluster’ that still has power in Umno, or is his voice not generating enough reception and is like ‘mencurah air ke daun keladi’?” the analyst queried, citing a Malay proverb referring to pointless efforts.

He pointed out that such beliefs are cemented when convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak still holds the post of BN advisory board chairman.

Najib was previously described as a “national embarrassment” by judge Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil on December 8 last year when the Court of Appeal upheld the high court ruling that Najib was guilty on corruption charges involving SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

He also said that Asyraf had made a right move in 2018 when he had pushed Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to take a break from his duties as party boss until the end of his court case.

“Asyraf had at the time asserted that his call was to give Zahid, who is facing 45 allegations of corruption and breach of trust, a chance to focus his efforts on clearing his name in court.

“He (Asyraf) had said that it is unfair to burden a party president who is facing many charges with the task of leading a party at a period when Umno requires fast moves,” Azam said.

Despite the ongoing nature of his court case, Zahid continues to hold the post of Umno president and BN chairman. – The Vibes, March 28, 2022