Umno leader calls Nenggiri candidate's party hopping 'shameful' PN move

An Umno leader has slammed PAS and Bersatu over their move to get their Nenggiri aspirant to switch parties shortly before announcing the Perikatan Nasional candidate.

Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi advised voters to not be fooled by such antics.

“PAS has no shame… and this goes to Bersatu as well for blindly following the Islamist party’s whims and fancies.

“Hopefully, Nenggiri voters will learn from this and condemn PN’s candidate,” Puad (above) told Malaysiakini.

He said this following a report that PN’s candidate for the Nenggiri polls - Mohd Rizwadi Ismail - was initially a PAS member.

It was reported that Rizwadi quit PAS at his own party’s behest to join Bersatu just one day before his candidacy was announced.

However, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man defended the move, calling it a strategic decision.

"The priority is to have a winnable candidate. So, when we were considering two to three names, he (Rizwadi) was found to be better accepted by the voters.

"So, we proposed his name and Bersatu agreed," he told Malaysiakini.

Contradictory ‘sumpah laknat’

Yesterday, Rizwadi even recited the sumpah laknat - an oath beseeching God to curse those who are in the wrong - that he will not switch parties if voted as Nenggiri assemblyperson.

“If I leave Bersatu, stop being a member, switch parties or support our opponents, I will be condemned by God and his prophet.

“And all expenses by my family and I funded by the remuneration received as an elected leader will be considered haram,” he was reported as saying.

Puad said that it was shameful for Rizwadi to take the religious oath against switching parties when the latter just did exactly that.

“I was confused why the sumpah laknat was taken as it was never part of Bersatu’s culture. Now I know it was orchestrated by PAS.

“It’s shameful. The candidate took the oath against party hopping right after hopping from PAS to Bersatu.

“If you look at it, the blowback from the oath taken would be on him,” the Johor state assembly speaker added.

Nenggiri goes to the polls on Aug 17.

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