Puad: Towards GE16 litmus test, Najib's freedom Umno's top priority

Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi agreed with DAP deputy secretary-general Liew Chin Tong that the next general election is the main battlefield for the coalition government.

Stressing the importance for ministers and the government to prove to the public that it is a high-performing administration, he took a potshot at Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and reiterated Umno’s commitment to securing its former president Najib Abdul Razak’s freedom.

“There should be no idiotic formulas, which become the butt of jokes. For Umno, the Najib issue is still at the top,” Puad (above) added in a Facebook post.

Although he did not mention Rafizi, the term “formulas” was an obvious reference to the PKR deputy president, whom he had once crowned the “king of formulas” alongside former DAP lawmaker Tony Pua.

Commenting further on the next national polls, Puad said it would determine if the Pakatan Harapan-BN alliance spearheaded by Anwar Ibrahim would continue to be in power or be relegated to a one-term government.

“The test is in GE16. This involves the allocation of seats, the understanding between the respective election machinery and the manifesto.

“The key is trust. If the momentum from the Mahkota (by-election in Johor) remains and is improved upon, it is not impossible for the coalition government to win big.

“What more if the period until December 2027 (when the election must be called) is not wasted,” he added.

Previously, Liew, who cited the next general election as the real test for the government, said that efforts must be made to convince Malaysians that DAP members and supporters are all nation-builders.

“We must convince our members, activists, supporters and Malaysians that we are all nation builders. We must plant this thought in the minds of every Malaysian and Johor nation,” he added.

‘Will Anwar win GE16?’

Prior to the last general polls, Liew said Anwar’s survival was questioned, but he has now become the prime minister.

“But now things have improved. The question we want to know now is - will Anwar win GE16?

“To ensure we can build on what we have now, everyone here holds the responsibility of ensuring that the unity government led by Anwar wins GE16,” he added.

Freeing ‘Bossku’

During the Umno annual general assembly in August, the party’s secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki vowed that efforts to secure Najib’s release from prison would continue.

He also revealed that the highest number of motions submitted to the party leadership was to call for Najib’s full pardon.

“The headquarters received motions from 171 divisions and out of that, 72 divisions requested that we continue demanding justice and a full pardon for ‘Bossku’ Najib.

“As long as ‘Bossku’ is trapped behind bars, Umno’s voice and efforts (to free Najib) will never cease,” he added.

Najib has been serving a six-year prison sentence since 2022 following his conviction in the SRC Internal case. He was originally sentenced to 12 years, but the Pardons Board halved the term.

The former premier is also on trial for other charges related to the 1MDB scandal.

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