MAT HASAN NOW AS ‘DISHONEST’ AS NAJIB? ‘WE MALAYSIANS KNOW – YOU TOK MAT ONLY DON’T KNOW’- GOBIND & ANWAR PULL IN THE CROWDS AS MAT HASAN STIRS UNEASE WITH CLAIM ‘NAJIB IS INNOCENT, IF NOT WHY NO ACTION TAKEN FOR 10 MONTHS’ – EVEN THOUGH EX-PM’S SRC CRIMINAL TRIAL HAS ALREADY BEGUN DESPITE NUMEROUS DELAY BIDS

RANTAU voters must reject the opposition, especially the kleptocrat-supporting Umno and PAS, said Gobind Singh Deo.

The DAP deputy chairman said Mohamad Hasan, the Barisan Nasional candidate for the state seat’s April 13 by-election, had questioned the lack of action taken against the pact’s former chairman, Najib Razak, over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

“BN is now saying, if there really is proof against Najib, why was no action taken for 10 months? This was what the candidate (Mohamad) said, not me.

“Has there been no action taken? We have charged him (Najib), haven’t we? We have charged him in court.

“He hired a lawyer. The lawyer appeals, appeals and appeals. Even yesterday, just before the trial began, he wanted to postpone it. It is you who are doing it (causing delays), but you say the government has not produced any proof after 10 months. What is this?” Gobind said after a ceramah in Seremban yesterday.

Present were PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.

Gobind, a lawyer with 20 years’ experience, said high-profile cases involving financial misconduct are not easy to resolve.

“But the BN candidate asked why no action was taken until now. I urge Tok Mat to read the newspapers, read yesterday’s newspapers, or switch on the TV. You can see Najib in court.

“So, (voters must) give a signal to Tok Mat. Maybe you (Tok Mat) do not know, but we Malaysians know. (Tell him) what we want. We want a clean government and clean leaders.”

He said the Pakatan Harapan government respects the law, and the court ruling in Najib’s case will be made in due time.

He said BN lost the 14th general election as the people wanted a corruption-free government, and the momentum must be continued in the Rantau polls.

“In the last 10 months, I dare say that we, the new government, are clean. This is something the BN government could not do for 60 years.”

The Rantau by-election is a four-way battle between Mohamad, PH’s Dr S. Streram, and independents R. Malarvizhi and Mohd Nor Yassin. – Bernama

Anwar says Pakatan, unlike BN, isn’t vengeful

PAKATAN Harapan’s biggest success is its reform drive, which has landed corrupt individuals in court, said Anwar Ibrahim.

The PKR president said the new government relies on facts to punish the corrupt, unlike the previous administration, which resorted to using slander to put people behind bars.

“The difference is, we don’t slander, we don’t incite, and we are not vengeful. We act based on facts, so that those who have stolen from the nation are punished,” he told a crowd of more than 1,000 at PKR’s 20th-anniversary celebrations at Dataran Rantau in Negri Sembilan last night.

Anwar said he and the prime minister are of the view that there must be no tolerance for those who steal from the country’s coffers.

“Many people think this is where Dr Mahathir Mohamad and I differ in opinion. No, there is no difference in opinion. We both believe in the country following the rule of law.”

He promised that the PH government will not lock up opposition leaders unless they are found to be guilty of crimes, unlike what BN had done.

Under the previous regime, he said, opposition leaders, such as Chua Tian Chang, better known as Tian Chua, Mohamed Azmin Ali, Lim Kit Siang, as well as Anwar himself, were arrested and dragged to court even though they had committed no crime.

“The practice must be stopped. PH has no intention of locking up or putting pressure on Umno, MCA and MIC leaders unless they are involved in crimes, like corruption.”  

He said PKR and other parties in the ruling pact must face the opposition with facts and conviction, adding that he is confident they can do so.

Present at the PKR celebrations were advisory council chairman Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, deputy president Azmin and advisory council deputy chairman Syed Husin Ali, as well as PH secretary-general Saifuddin Abdullah.

Azmin called on the party to work together to create success, and this must be seen in the April 13 Rantau by-election.

The polls are a four-cornered contest between PH’s Dr S. Streram, BN’s Mohamad Hasan, and independents R. Malarvizhi and Mohd Nor Yassin. – THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT