INDIVIDUALS with court cases will not be considered by Bersatu for any government positions, but the party is open to negotiations for other candidates, its information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan said. 

In a statement, Wan Saiful said the party is firm and consistent on its stand on people facing graft charges.

“Our stand on the issue of integrity and matters pertaining to court cases is very clear.

“We can agree to nominate candidates from different parties but negotiations must first take place because we will not compromise our stand. 

“Such important matters in a unity government like what we have today must take into account the views of all party members in the government,” said Wan Saiful. 

His comments today came after Bersatu rejected the nomination of Ahmad Maslan as Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker, which resulted in the election for the position being postponed on the grounds that Putrajaya wanted to allow legal amendments to increase the number of deputy speakers. 

The government wants to increase the number of deputy speakers from two to three, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said in the Dewan Rakyat last Monday.

Previously, sources told The Malaysian Insight that Bersatu rejected Ahmad as Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker. 

The Umno secretary-general is facing two charges over the receipt of RM2 million from former prime minister Najib Razak, money that is alleged to be illegal gains.

“Bersatu MPs have rejected Ahmad Maslan because of the court case,” a party insider, who is an MP, told The Malaysian Insight. 

A source in Perikatan Nasional said Ahmad would fail to secure the full vote of the coalition in an election for the deputy speaker. 

Ahmad is accused of failing to declare a sum of RM2 million he received from Najib. He has also been charged with giving false statements to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigators. 

The case will go to trial in the Kuala Lumpur High Court in June next year. 

Umno Supreme Council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the Bersatu and four independent MPs who rejected the candidacy of Ahmad had been politically manipulated. – September 18, 2021.