KUALA LUMPUR — The tenuous alliance between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) propping up the Anwar administration may not last for long because of Parti Amanah Negara, Umno supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi said today.
The Johor state lawmaker claimed that the ties were being tested by the PH component party’s rejection of Umno’s calls for a royal pardon for convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He claimed that Amanah is a “friend that cannot guarantee the Unity Government can last”, adding that it is an ally that “eats” its partners.
The Umno man who is also Johor State Assembly Speaker asserted that his party abides by the laws.
He said his party had followed the due process when it applied for a pardon, and did not make a fuss when the Pardons Board did not discuss Najib’s case when it met two days ago.
Instead, he claimed it was Amanah that did not follow the order of things.
“The problem is PAN for pressuring the Agong to reject Najib’s pardon. Umno only expressed its support.
“PAN has insulted the Agong’s discretion. PAN, which is pressuring, clearly questions the Agong’s wisdom,” Puad said.
Khalid was previously reported saying that Najib should not be pardoned to protect Malaysia’s international reputation and its commitment to fight corruption and power abuse under the Anwar administration.
Najib has served just eight months of his 12-year jail sentence after being found guilty of misappropriating RM42 million in funds belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.
He is still on trial for a slew of other charges in relation to the scandal-tainted sovereign investment fund. MM
Sorry, but our stand remains – Khalid tells Umno on Najib’s pardon
Amanah communications director Khalid Samad has apologised for upsetting Umno over his statement calling for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to reject their pardon application for former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
He said it is merely a difference of opinion on the issue and he apologised for not having the same stand as Umno on the matter.
“We did not attack or criticise Umno, we respect their right to make an appeal for the pardon. That is their right, they can do that, no issue.
“They are now criticising us saying that we do not know how to work together… we are just stating a different stand.
“(It is) Unfortunate that they want to make it an issue. I apologise for upsetting them but that is Amanah’s stand.
“So, our apologies for not having the same opinion,” Khalid said when contacted by Malaysiakini today.
The former Pakatan Harapan minister said parties in the ruling coalition should utilise the principle of “agree to disagree” and respect differences in opinions.
The situation would have been different if he had criticised Umno for applying for a royal pardon for Najib, but Khalid said he did not do so.
“I just said this is Amanah’s stance because of the fact that we want a clean government that is committed to fighting corruption,” he said.
When asked whether the contention over Najib’s pardon would affect the cooperation between BN and Harapan in the upcoming state elections, Khalid reiterated that different parties are bound to have varying opinions on issues.
“It should not lead to a breakout or an argument,” he said.
Pardon or not, it’s up to Agong
Khalid also expressed his hopes that Kelantan Umno will not sever ties with its Amanah counterpart over his statement.
“I made a statement to clarify (Amanah’s) stance, it was not meant to antagonise or create friction between coalition parties,” he said.
He stressed that the decision on the pardon application for Najib is up to the Agong, which was something he said he made clear in his initial statement.
Amanah is ready to accept whatever decision the Agong comes to on Najib’s pardon, he added.
Regardless of this matter, Khalid said the biggest uniting factor for the parties in the ruling coalition is their desire to achieve a Madani Malaysia and grace (rahmah) in politics.
“We emphasise that we are very committed to the concept of the unity government and the effort to fight for a Madani Malaysia and grace in politics,” he said.
Meanwhile, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said in a statement today that all individuals have a right to express their views as enshrined in the constitution.
Despite that, he said individual views do not represent the party unless it is an official decision decided by the party.
For example, coalition parties in Harapan are subject to whatever decisions are made by its leadership, and similarly, any decisions made by the unity government supersede those made by individual parties within the administration, he said.
“Amanah leaders have the right to voice their opinions but they are tied to the party decision. This is normal practice in any organisation.
“In the case involving Najib, the highest power with the discretion to make a decision is the Agong, so all parties must respect any decisions made by the king.
“However, all parties who have expressed their views on this issue care about the unity government and the unity government should focus on providing service to the rakyat as they have been mandated to,” Mohamad said.
‘Stop making inappropriate comments’
Khalid had previously released a statement from Amanah calling for the Agong to reject the application to pardon Najib.
Najib is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence over his conviction in the SRC International case.
The Umno supreme council had previously decided unanimously to submit an application to the Agong to pardon Najib.
Khalid’s statement had raised the ire of several Umno leaders, including Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who urged all quarters to stop making “inappropriate” comments on the party’s bid to seek a pardon for Najib.
Kelantan Umno had also said it will consider severing ties with its Amanah counterpart if Khalid does not withdraw his statement and apologise.
Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi also expressed his doubts over the stability of the federal government, saying that it is difficult to be allied with Amanah. FMT