PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional can be expected to retaliate for corruption charges against its leaders by highlighting an investigation into aides of human resources minister V Sivakumar, according to a political scientist.
Azizuddin Sani of Universiti Utara Malaysia told FMT that the opposition would do anything and use any issues to convince the voters, and retaliate against investigations conducted on their leaders.
Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and the party’s former information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan were recently charged with money laundering and corruption. The party and PAS form the core of Peritakan Nasional.
Azizuddin said “they will use it (the investigation) to punish the government” while also playing up racial and religious issues to “confuse the public”.
However, he said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should remain transparent about such matters, even if it provides political ammunition for his rivals.
“Adopting such a stance would reinforce public confidence for Pakatan Harapan,” said Azizuddin.
He said voters in the PAS strongholds of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu would not be affected by news of the investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Voters in those states were more concerned with religious and day-to-day issues, he said.
“Rural Malays in Kedah for instance, are more concerned about what the federal and state governments can contribute to their livelihood and what sort of assistance they will receive from the government.”
Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said PAS and Bersatu could easily turn the Sivakumar affair into a religious issue, as corruption is a sin in Islam, “and harp on Anwar’s inaction against a DAP minister”.
He said Malay voters in Selangor who are discerning when it comes to corruption issues, are already wary of Anwar for working with what they perceive to be a “corrupted” Umno.
“That’s a narrative that can run against him,” he said.
When asked if Anwar should remove Sivakumar from his minister post, Oh pointed out that Anwar must first consult with his PH coalition partner DAP, before such a decision can be made.
On April 17, Anwar said he will not remove Sivakumar, seeing that the case is still being investigated and there are no charges or convictions against the minister.
MACC had detained Sivakumar’s private secretary and a senior aide in relation to a probe into the recruitment of foreign workers. - FMT
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