Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has stressed that it is important for the palace not to be involved in politics.
He said when the palace is partisan, it would breed discontent among the people, who would then vent their frustration on social media.
“When the palace intervenes in politics, this will happen.
“Pity our people, (they) get called up by the police for sedition (for making such postings on social media, the (Communications and) Multimedia Act and other laws (are used against them)
“Don’t bring the palace into politics, there is no benefit from this in the long run,” he added in a video posted on Facebook.
Zaid (above) was commenting on Umno’s plan to explain to the people that BN joined the Pakatan Harapan coalition government to uphold Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decree.
The former minister said Umno should not drag the palace into the equation and focus on explaining to the people why they should support Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim instead.
“Explain why the current ministerial positions should be retained. Tell the public why we should retain the chairperson post in Mara, Felda and so forth.
“Explain the benefits (gleaned from these positions). Why drag in the palace?” he asked.
Zaid said even if it is true that the palace had issued such a decree, it was still up to the political parties to make the final decision.
“This is a political issue. Looking for formulas and political stability can only be done by politicians, not the palace… So it is best for the palace to be in a neutral position,” he added.
Therefore, Zaid urged Umno to defend its decision to join the coalition government using political facts.
He said other issues could be raised such as “talking about the economy or why the prime minister is not popular or why the prime minister is popular”.
Harapan and BN formed the coalition government after last November’s general election resulted in a political deadlock.
On Saturday, Umno supreme council member Ahmad Maslan said BN will explain to voters in the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state seats in Johor regarding its decision to join the coalition government upon the ruler’s decree.
He said Umno would also explain to the people that DAP agreed to accept four matters in the Federal Constitution before BN decided to join hands with Harapan
Ahmad claimed that voters are still not clear about this and it contributed to the Umno’s dismal performance in the state elections.
Kelantan MB told to apologise
On a separate matter, Zaid urged Kelantan Menteri Besar Mohd Nassuruddin Daud “not to split hairs” over his remark and apologise.
“As leaders, when we say something wrong, we just apologise. The more we try to fix something that is incorrect, the more complicated it becomes.
“The time spent on these polemics is better used by the menteri besar to think about issues which are beneficial to the people,” he added.
Galas assemblyperson Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim (BN) and Kota Lama assemblyperson Dr Hafidzah Mustakim (Amanah) have demanded an apology for purportedly branding them as opponents of Islam. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.