Zahid’s early GE16 call understandable – “UMNO is worried sick over ‘sakau’ busting, need to save own skin”

 

MADANI backers are apparently jeering at UMNO’s desperation for the next national polls to be expedited as they contended that “the rakyat is in no hurry” but only wish for “the government of the day to speed up prosecution of the kaki sakau (plunderers)” in the wake of the Tabung Haji scandal clamp down.

This follows the party’s president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi having given a clear signal that he would prefer the 16th General Election (GE16) held earlier than waiting until the end of the current parliamentary term (GE16 must be held before Feb 17, 2028).

In the contention of Zahid who is also the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), while an early election would allow a new mandate from the rakyat to be obtained, BN is nevertheless prepared to face the consequences of the GE15 term continuing until the end of its term.

As the end of the day, BN’s stance on political cooperation is not on absolute ground because all decisions would be made based on the calculation of “benefits and harms”.

“For BN, politics is not simply a question of who is friend or foe but a question of who gives the best return to the party,” deduced a Facebook post by Malay language political site AM Daily.

After having shortchanged or backstabbed ally Pakatan Harapan (PH) by going solo in the Johor state election followed by forging new alliance with its old foe PAS in the name of ummah unity for the Negeri Sembilan state polls, it is little wonder that Madani backers are furious with the UMNO/BN antics.

Personally targeted

Aside from the rapid pace of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) getting to the bottom of the RM13 bil Tabung Haji financial mismanagement and governance failures during the Najib administration, Zahid has also been personally targeted over his 47 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering involving the Yayasan Akalbudi funds.

DAP lawmaker RSN Rayer has on yesterday (Sept 3) queried the Attorney-General (AG) as to why “some alleged corruption cases (are) pursued relentlessly while this particular (Zahid’s) case was brought to an end (despite it being a prima facie case)?

“If the government is serious about fighting corruption, there can’t be one standard for political opponents and another for political allies,” asserted the Jelutong MP in a media statement.

“I therefore call upon the AG to re-examine the decision concerning the 47 charges, publish as much of the legal reasoning and evidential basis as lawfully possible and – if the evidence and legal circumstances justify it – take the necessary steps to revive or otherwise pursue the matter in accordance with the law.”

In a wider context, Zahid or UMNO/BN’s call for early national polls is perceived as a last-ditch attempt to safe the skin of its president right down to its past and present top brass and cronies who have been implicated in graft or embezzlement of sorts.

Editor’s Note: The Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) is likely be the next agency to be investigated, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

This came after His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, told PMX who is also the Finance Minister that investigations into institutions owned by the rakyat should not end with the hajj fund board.

Another seemingly pro-Madani Malay language political site Unofficial Info ridiculed Zahid for “having wanting an early GE16 at a time when several big names in UMNO have come under the spotlight following probes and enforcement actions” in relation to the Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report.

“Of course, an investigation is not proof that someone is guilty but the legal process must be respected,” justified Unofficial Info.

But from a political perspective, the timing of Zahid’s statement is certainly eye-catching. As one after another politician from the party is on the investigation radar, the UMNO leadership wants to quickly enter the election ring.

This maybe coincidental but netizens will certainly ask – does UMNO want a new mandate or does it want to quickly bury the old episode?

Either this or could Zahid being impatient “to sit on the chair of Malaysian PM” as suggested by a Gen Z BERSAMA Threader.

“Personally, I never imagined Zahid would become the PM. But ethnic-based politics might enable this to become a reality,” he quipped. 

- Focus Malaysia