Tunku Aziz knocks Pakatan over polls pledge snub

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — The opposition’s refusal to sign the pledge for integrity and commitment to ensure a clean and fair general election shows that it is not committed to the cause and is afraid of its own shadow, said former Transparency International (TI)-Malaysia president Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim.

Ironically, he said, they were the ones who were overzealous in fighting for a clean and fair general election.

Commending Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for his willingness to sign the pledge, he said it showed that the government was transparent and opened the eyes of the public and the world that the Barisan Nasional government was committed in shouldering the responsibility entrusted.

“Even a simple pledge they cannot sign, what more to rule a country? This shows that the opposition is not prepared to walk the talk like what the government did. Can we trust them?” he said when contacted.

Tunku Abdul Aziz (picture), who was also a former DAP vice-chairman, said the opposition should not politicise the integrity pledge for it was part and parcel of efforts to promote a clean and fair general election that it had been pursuing.

“It is shocking that the opposition is not prepared to ensure the election would be free and democratic because the general election is a democratic process and not to be engaged in anything prohibited. They just want to create chaos,” he said.

Najib and other BN component party leaders signed the General Election Integrity Pledge with TI-Malaysia as a public declaration to defend integrity and of their commitment to combating corruption, in particular in the run-up to the 13th general election.

However, opposition leaders refused to sign the pledge and criticised those who did, including the prime minister.

Political analyst Prof Datuk Zainal Abidin Borhan said the opposition should translate its resolve into reality.

Commenting on PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s statement that resolve was more important than signing the pledge, Zainal Abdidin said it was not convincing enough.

“Anyone can make the resolve, but will they actually do it? “What’s more, they people are wiser now in making evaluations and they want to see the resolve pursued by a party in the form of a pledge, only then they will be satisfied,” he said. — Bernama