Zaid: Umno pretends to care about Najib, must find cause of 1MDB scandal

At the recent BN convention in Pahang, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi proclaimed that not “even a single part of his soul has forgotten Najib Abdul Razak” and the party’s efforts to free him would continue.

However, Zaid Ibrahim, who is an Umno member, is not convinced.

In the latest episode of his podcast, the former law minister claimed that Umno has abandoned Najib.

“Friends are plenty when we have power. But when we have nothing, all of them disappear. I can understand and sympathise with Najib.

“But what can we do? Umno does not care about him,” he said, adding that the party only cared about Najib when he was the prime minister.

“It is just pretending (to still care about him),” he said.

Comparing it to when Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim was charged, Zaid pointed out that from the onset, his supporters were convinced that Anwar was innocent.

He said Anwar’s supporters believed that the charges were false and it was part of a political conspiracy despite “objective observers” believing otherwise.

“Unfortunately, in Najib’s case, there are numerous issues which can become narratives to show that Najib is not as how he is portrayed about being directly involved in the 1MDB scandal.

“But Umno is not raising these issues. It is as if Umno accepts that he is guilty,” he added.

Zaid was commenting on a post on Najib’s Facebook account after the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Wednesday ordered the former prime minister to enter his defence on four charges of power abuse and 21 charges of money laundering involving RM2.28bil linked to 1MDB.

“Many show their faces during good times. Some have multiple faces. But this life is full of lessons. Amid the bitterness, there was a drop of sweetness and appreciation. Thank you to all the friends who came to court.

“Not only political leaders or acquaintances but also scores of supporters and people who remember the contributions (during Najib’s tenure) and miss the old administration. These are true friends,” read the post.

Root cause of 1MDB scandal

Taking to X this morning, Zaid said Umno must find the root cause of the 1MDB scandal, which was one of the main reasons it lost the 2018 general election.

“Putting one man in jail is not finding the root cause. Putting everyone responsible for the fiasco in jail is.

“It’s not just about saving one leader but about keeping Umno dominant and relevant. How? By fighting for real reforms to make sure the institutions and governance are strong enough to prevent another 1MDB,” he added.

Zaid said he has been a harsh critic of Umno’s attitude towards Najib and 1MDB because he wants the party to become strong again.

According to the former law minister, Umno is still important with regard to the Malaysian political landscape.

“Why is Umno important? It is far from perfect but it is the only party suitable to govern the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans, and the stateless. And Malaysia too,” he added.

On Oct 24, Najib apologised for the 1MDB scandal but maintained his innocence, claiming he was duped by fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) and PetroSaudi executives.

Yesterday, Khairy Jamaluddin, a former cabinet minister during the Najib administration, said Najib had refused to act against Jho Low even after the scandal erupted and his actions were not consistent with someone who had been misled.

The 71-year-old former prime minister is currently serving a six-year prison sentence over the SRC International case.

On Dec 5, the Court of Appeal will hear his appeal concerning the dismissal of his leave application to commence judicial review regarding an alleged addendum on his house arrest.

Najib claimed the addendum was issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong to allow him to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest.

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