Win for BN means pardon for Najib, warns Sanusi


Ravin Palanisamy Mohd Farhan Darwis

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor does not believe Barisan Nasional will put Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s name forward for prime minister, if the coalition wins the election. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 14, 2022.

BARISAN Nasional (BN) will seek a pardon for jailed former prime minister Najib Razak if it is given the mandate to rule after the election, Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said.

He claimed it was “highly likely” the coalition would approach the king, given that Pakatan Harapan (PH) had set the precedent with Anwar Ibrahim’s release shortly after it won the election in May 2018. 

Najib is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering. 

“PH’s first step was to secure Anwar’s release from prison, so BN will (do the same thing).

“There is history… and there is also a claim that BN will make an alliance with Anwar. This is something undeniable,” the Kedah Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief said at a ceramah in Tambun, Perak, last night. 

Sanusi was part of the PN Best tour last night, along with coalition chairman Muhyiddin Yassin and candidate Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who will face PKR president Anwar, BN’s Aminuddin Md Hanafiah and Pejuang’s Abdul Rahim Tahir.

In 2018, Anwar was granted a full pardon by then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V for his three convictions – one for abuse of power and two for sodomy – on the basis that there was a “miscarriage of justice”.

Anwar was previously convicted of molesting his former personal assistant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan and was sentenced to five years in prison.

He had served three of his five years when he was granted the pardon. Sanusi said that releasing Anwar was a “mistake” and that his pardon was debatable.

“PH’s first mistake was freeing that prisoner from prison and now he is ‘begging’ in Tambun to become the next prime minister,” Sanusi said. 

“Let me remind everyone here. Muhyiddin was sacked from Umno during Najib’s era because he opposed the 1MDB scandal, but Anwar was fired from Umno as deputy president and as deputy prime minister because of some moral issues. 

“Today, he (Anwar) is doing roadshows talking about moral values. He is the one who is ‘out of morals’.

“To the people of Tambun, history will be recorded if you vote for him. I don’t dare say it here or not later I’ll be sued.

“So, I came all the way from Kedah to advise the people of Tambun who want to vote, don’t vote for Anwar, vote for Peja,” he said, using Faizal’s nickname.

Ismail’s absence from BN posters

In his speech, Sanusi also said that Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is supposed to be BN’s nomination for prime minister, will not be put forward by the coalition because Umno was not backing him.

“We have three names: Muhyiddin, Ismail and Anwar. 

“Ismail can no longer (become prime minister). How can he be? The party doesn’t support him.

“They (BN) say he is a poster boy but I don’t see his posters. Umno and BN are scattered, so I think Ismail is out,” Sanusi said. 

Meanwhile, Faizal said that the people of Tambun would need to make an assessment of Anwar before making a decision.

“He has been sentenced, only to be pardoned and that too, as the Kedah MB said, we should see if the pardon process was followed accordingly.

“Anyway, now he is eligible to compete. Hence, Malaysians need to see his track record, what he has done all this while and if he is really a moral person who can be appointed as the leader of the country,” he said after the ceramah. 

Faizal was elected Tambun MP in 2018 when Bersatu was part of PH. – November 14, 2022.


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