Academic sees friendships in Umno being tested

 

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is among the few who have spoken up, called on the party to show its solidarity with Najib Razak. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: An academic has questioned the sincerity of friendships in Umno following Najib Razak’s latest setback in his SRC International appeal in the Federal Court.

Commenting on the silence of some Umno leaders over the court’s rejection of the former prime minister’s application to adduce additional evidence, Council of Professors fellow Jeniri Amir said this was showing Najib “who his true friends are”.

He said Umno leaders must not forget that many Malaysians still held Najib in high regard and that they admired him for using facts and figures in his continuous defence of Umno against allegations from the opposition.

He told FMT those who were remaining silent were probably trying to dissociate themselves from the former party president to safeguard their reputation in the run up to the next general election.

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Jeniri Amir.

Yesterday, an Umno leader who spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity said “the whole of Umno” had gone quiet.

An Umno Supreme Council member, who also declined to be named, confirmed that some of the party’s WhatsApp groups were silent on the Federal Court’s decision to reject Najib’s attempt to introduce new evidence as well as his request for a postponement.

Following this, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on the party to show its solidarity with Najib, saying his contribution and service to the party, Barisan Nasional and the BN government would never be erased from history.

Several Umno leaders have since voiced their support for Najib and these include deputy president Mohamad Hasan, Supreme Council member Isham Jalil and Sembrong division chief Hishammuddin Hussein.

Azmi Hassan.

Political analyst Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the silence from some Umno leaders could be a strategic attempt to save the party from any allegation of trying to interfere with the judiciary.

But he told FMT he expected Umno to use the outcome of Najib’s appeal to its advantage.

“If Najib loses his appeal, Umno will use this court decision to pull together all its members, claim political persecution and pitch for sympathy votes,” he said.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid.

“If he wins, then Umno will use the narrative that Najib’s prosecution was politically motivated and thus gather support not only from its members but also from voters.”

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia told FMT it would be strange for Umno’s members with “feudal instincts” to disown Najib publicly.

“It is very unMalay to bite the hand that once fed them,” he said. “A lot of them would have benefitted from the largesse distributed by Najib.” - FMT