Azalina baffled by reaction to Zahid's request for positions, says it's a ‘polite letter’

Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said is baffled by the public reaction towards a letter penned by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi requesting that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin appoint a number of Sabah Umno leaders to federal positions.

"I read its content and frankly, didn’t find anything wrong with it – a polite letter from one party leader to another.

"After all, we are coalition partners, so who else do we discuss such matters with?

"I am baffled by the response and reaction from the public. People are jumping to conclusions and posting scathing remarks," she said in a Facebook post.

Azalina also noted similar reactions to the appointments of Umno MPs to government-linked companies.

"It's kind of funny since most of these purported appointments have not materialised.

"By the way, I don't recall similar public reaction when the (previous) Pakatan Harapan government appointed their nominees," she said.

Azalina was responding to an article by The Edge Financial Daily which said that Umno's requests can be interpreted in many ways, including that the party's support for Muhyiddin is dependent on those positions.

Azalina lamented what she called "bashing" of the new Perikatan Nasional coalition which she described as a "two-month-old human baby".

"Aren’t we (Bersatu, BN, PAS, et cetera) partners in this coalition government? Don't we (Umno) have the right to seek for fair distribution of governing rights?

"Are we merely partners in name and not implementation? This is the reality of politics. Or did I miss something?" she said.

She also noted the improved Covid-19 situation in Malaysia and commended the country's healthcare system built up over the years.

"The BN government led the country for 61 years. We were not perfect but please don’t assume that we are all bad eggs," she said.

In contrast, she said Harapan tried to abolish the critical services incentive payment for healthcare workers, which was later overturned after a petition. - Mkini