Sitting United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has warned members of his coalition that they may face more selective prosecution if they fail to cinch a landslide win during the upcoming 15th General Elections.
This comes shortly after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s announcement that the 14th Parliament of Malaysia was officially dissolved on Monday (October 10th, 2022), under the consent of His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
General Election 15 the ‘mother of all elections’
During his speech that was delivered during the Malaysian Indian Congress’ (MIC) 76th Annual General Assembly held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) on Monday, Zahid underscored the importance that Barisan Nasional land a decisive victory during GE15, and stressed that the dissolution of Parliament could not have been delayed for any longer.
Describing the upcoming polls as the ‘mother of all general elections’, he foreshadows that the party will face dire straits if they lose once again.
“If we lose, our fates will be worse than what we experienced during GE14. It won’t just be me being charged. Tok Mat will be next.
Tan Sri Vicky don’t laugh, you too will be next and Ka Siong, they won’t forget you,” he jokingly suggested, leading to laughter from the audience.
Clarifying that his comments were not meant to challenge the country’s judiciary arm, Zahid explains that he was referring to the allegedly politically motivated charges that have been levelled against top members of the BN leadership over the past years, drawing disgraced former premier Najib as an example.
BN machinery ready to campaign through floods if needed
He also said that their party will be ready to campaign through the floods if necessary, but hopes that the election will be called before the floods begin. Zahid himself was recently acquitted of all 40 charges related to the foreign visa system (VLN) contract, but was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to enter his defence against 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, graft and money laundering in relation to the Yayasan Akalbudi charity scandal.
His comments have garnered flack from opposition politicians such as Muar MP Syed Saddiq, who pointed out that this could very well be the reason why UMNO had called for an early election to escape legal repercussions.
Nak tahu kenapa UMNO nak PRU awal?
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Memang fokus UMNO untuk menang sebab nak lepaskan tengkuk dari tindakan undang-undang.
Malaysia’s future is at stake.
If we dont vote them out, we are doomed.
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Kita kena tolak UMNO! pic.twitter.com/qtQrzYYcB2
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) October 11, 2022
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