Umno told: Clean up your act before attacking Mahathir

Syed Saddiq reminds the party of occasions when it failed to defend the royal institution.

PETALING JAYA: A Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia leader has accused Umno of hypocrisy for its condemnation of former PM Mahathir Mohamad over his remark about the impropriety of promoting a “Bangsa Johor”.

Syed Sadiq Abdul Rahman, a member of the Bersatu pro-tem committee, last night issued a media statement in which he gave a list of the occasions when Umno leaders failed to defend the Malay rulers.

“This statement was not made to defend any party, but to request for several Umno members – Hishamuddin Hussein, Azalina Othman Said, etc – and anyone else who feels its sting to stop being a hypocrite,” he said.

“When Mahathir made a remark on Bangsa Johor, many made a fuss about it as if they have always fought for the constitutional monarchy in Malaysia.”

However, he noted, nothing was heard from Umno when the National Security Council Bill was passed as a law without the rulers’ consent.

The rulers’ request for the bill to be redrafted was in fact ignored, he added. He asked: “Where was Umno-BN then?”

He also mentioned Umno Supreme Council member Nazri Aziz’s verbal attack on the Crown Prince of Johor. “Where was Umno when Nazri said, ‘We will whack him’?”

He brought up other incidences in which Umno allegedly treated the royals with disrespect, such as when it ignored their decree for the 1MDB issue to be solved immediately.

Syed Saddiq defended Mahathir against critics who have been referring to his record as prime minister.

He acknowledged that Mahathir made mistakes, but noted that he had apologised for them.

“What about Umno?” he asked. “Clean your own front yard first. Don’t be a hypocrite.”