A PKR parliamentarian piled the pressure on Umno candidate Rohaizat Othman to withdraw gracefully from the Permatang Pasir by-election to avoid further public embarrassment.

uthayakumar high chaparral 040709 yusmadi Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff ( right ) said Umno leaders have been irresponsible from the beginning by misrepresenting facts about the status of Rohaizat as a practising lawyer.

Firstly, he said Umno leaders claimed Rohaizat was a lawyer, then a Syariah lawyer before changing it to Syariah legal adviser due to increasing public scrutiny.

He pointed out that Rohaizat himself had claimed to be self-employed in his nomination papers filed on Monday.

"Now Umno leaders are justifying Rohaizat's candidature by claiming that he had been implicated in a case involving his partner, not him personally," he said.

He, however, pointed out that Rohaizat's disbarment by the Bar Council's Disciplinary Committee was on a personal misconduct , charge which indicates that the Umno candidate is not qualified to contest for public office.

"But Umno leaders claim that Rohaizat is eligible to contest. Umno leaders have been irresponsible by putting up a candidate with a tainted background . . . it's an insult to our intelligence," he said.

'Insult to the voters'

Yusmadi said Umno should first comprehend that an electoral process to pick a representative is not a private matter, but a public affair.

Therefore he said a candidate's personal character, credibility and capability would come under intense public scrutiny.

"It's shameful that Umno leaders kept changing Rohaizat's profession and misrepresenting the facts.

NONE "This is embarrassing Rohaizat ( left ) and insulting the voters," he said, pinning the blame on Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He called on the two leaders to take responsibility for putting Rohaizat in a situation of public embarrassment.

"Rohaizat can end it all by withdrawing gracefully from the contest. Even if he is elected, the controversy will keep haunting him," said Yusmadi, the Penang PKR Youth chief.

Rohaizat, 38, faces PAS state commissioner Mohd Salleh Man, 55, in a straight fight in the Permatang Pasir by-election in Penang, held following the death of Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman.

Previously Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid and information chief Ahmad Maslan had clarified Rohaizat's role in the transaction, stating that he was a clean candidate.

Yesterday the Malaysian Bar said that Rohaizat's practising licence was revoked following problems incurred by the former partner in the legal firm.

Bar secretary George Varughese said: "The finding of misconduct is personal to Rohaizat, as the (advocates and solicitors) disciplinary board would not hold a lawyer liable for the actions of his/her law partner(s)."

He said the board struck off Rohaizat, who is also a Syariah legal adviser, on March 7, 2008.

End the controversy

Yesterday PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar called on Rohaizat to withdraw from the contest gracefully.

Rohaizat has suggested that PAS and Pakatan are harping on a "non-issue" because they are scared of losing the electoral battle.

sivamurugan pandian 210508 Academician Sivamurugan Pandian, meanwhile, called on Rohaizat to explain his position to end the controversy.

"The issue is now dominating the political scene. It's only right for Rohaizat, not anyone else, to clarify the matter.

"Otherwise it will drag on, which is unfair to the voters ," said the social scientist from Universiti Sains Malaysia.

He also said the Umno leadership should have been wiser in choosing a candidate.

"The issue is haunting Rohaizat and he cannot run away from it without a public explanation. He should put the issue to rest and move forward in his campaign. Otherwise it will become baggage up to polling day."