KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has dismissed allegations that Umno candidates for the general election (GE15) were made to sign statutory declarations (SDs) to support Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as prime minister.
While he confirmed the existence of the document, he said it had nothing to do with giving Zahid power to form the next cabinet.
“No, nothing that I read. The cabinet is not formed by the (party) president anyway,” he told reporters after attending Barisan Nasional’s (BN) announcement of GE15 candidates tonight.
“The most important thing is for us to win. If we don’t win, there’s no (Umno) government. What cabinet is there to be formed?”
When pressed further on the contents of the SD, and whether it included a condition that Zahid shall be prime minister candidate in the event of a BN victory, Hishammuddin, who will defend his Sembrong parliamentary seat, said: “Not that I read just now.”
Yesterday, The Vibes had reported sources saying that Zahid could be positioning himself to be a possible prime minister candidate.
Those who had been given candidate appointment letters or “watikah” to contest in GE15 were allegedly also told to sign a separate letter backing Zahid by giving him the mandate to form the cabinet.
“He is going state by state presenting the ‘surat watikah’. However, accepting the ‘surat watikah’ is conditional on them (the candidates to be named) signing a pledge of allegiance to the president and giving him the mandate to form the government, if Umno-BN wins the election,” said one source.
According to Hishammuddin tonight, the signing of the document along with the acceptance of the election watikah is meant as a show of the candidates’ commitment to the party.
“When we are nominated, it comes with trust and responsibility. It’s not something that we can leverage for our own benefit.
“So, whatever the party asks us to sign, we (must remember) we represent the party,” he said. – The Vibes, November 1, 2022
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