PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim is either making a mistake or ensuring a stable government if he names Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as a deputy prime minister, political observers said.

Some told The Malaysian Insight that appointing Zahid – who has multiple corruption charges pending – may tarnish the reform image that Anwar is trying to bring in his new administration.

However, it could also provide stability for the unity government formed after the 2022 general elections returned a hung parliament.

They added that if Anwar decides to bulldoze through the appointment of the Umno president, his new government must take the responsibility to explain it to the people.

The Malaysian Insight reported yesterday that Anwar is likely to name Zahid as one of two deputies, as the new prime minister balances a stable administration against a strong Malay opposition bench.

Zahid is a beleaguered Umno president and a controversial choice. He was the target of political foes, voters and even his party members in the November 19 election campaign, and barely kept his Bagan Datuk ‘stronghold’, scraping home by a 348-vote majority.

Despite that, Zahid turned Barisan Nasional’s (BN) worst-ever electoral showing in history of 30 parliament seats into a strategic kingmaker role – supporting Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) with 82 seats over Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN), which had claimed 73 seats 11 days ago.

The other deputy is said to be from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), given that Anwar said he would name two to the position, which is a political convention rather than a constitutional provision.

Zahid has 47 corruption and money laundering charges to answer for, even though he was acquitted of 40 bribery charges in September.

On September 23, Shah Alam High Court cleared Zahid of all 40 corruption charges involving the foreign visa system (VLN).

Anwar has said he would consider all views in naming his cabinet but has not ruled out anyone.

Zahid is a liability

Meanwhile, Hisommudin Bakar of Ilham Centre said Anwar should pick someone else as his deputy, because it would give the wrong impression to the public should he follow through with this decision.

“The new government must secure the trust of the public. People will start questioning Anwar if he names Zahid,” he said.

Hisommudin said Zahid was one of the main reasons why Barisan Nasional lost so badly in the general election.

“Malays chose to vote for PN because of Zahid’s corruption charges and now if Anwar appoints him, Anwar will also receive the backlash and his government must have a clear explanation or justification,” he said.

“From Umno’s perspective yes, it is about the party’s survival but from the public’s point of view, Zahid is a liability.”

Malaysian Community Care Foundation (MCCF) president Halim Ishak urged Anwar to be consistent.

He added that Zahid or anyone with corruption charges pending should temporarily stay out of the cabinet.

“It is about integrity and this shouldn’t be taken lightly. Anwar must walk the talk because integrity was his main essence in every speech. To name someone with court cases as cabinet member is not what he should do.

“Those with court cases must temporarily stay out of the cabinet. If they are in, this will create a negative perception of the government,” the former police commando said.

Political observer Oh Ei Sun on the other hand said the move to appoint Zahid may be necessary for Anwar to create a stable government.

He argued the move may perhaps be morally wrong, but necessary to stop a PAS-dominant government.

“Morally it is perhaps not right to appoint a DPM with criminal court cases hanging over him, although there are precedents in other countries, such as Benjamin Netanhayu in Israel.

“Yet, politically, this is a reluctant but necessary move for Anwar, as a Zahid-led BN is more likely to continue to support Anwar, otherwise BN may pitch camp with PN instead, giving rise to a PAS-dominant government that could shake the very fabric of a multicultural society,” he said.

Zahid and Anwar were allies in Umno. Zahid was detained for nearly two months in September 1998 under the now-abolished Internal Security Act a day after Anwar was arrested on charges of abusing power and sodomy. – December 1, 2022.