KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has once again defended the appointment of Umno president Zahid Hamidi as his deputy premier, even though Zahid is facing dozens of graft charges.
Datuk Seri Anwar said on Tuesday that he does not want to make any judgment before due process in court and he would not interfere in ongoing court cases involving any of his Cabinet members.
He said he cannot take action against members of his Cabinet who are facing court charges before a decision is made in court.
“Action cannot be taken just based on a prosecution and before a (court) judgment. For instance, there is a lawmaker who is being charged in court today. Should the individual also resign from all of their positions?” he said, in reference to an MP from former premier Muhyiddin Yassin’s party who was charged with graft.
“Surely the answer is no, so that is my stand as well,” he said in reply to a question from opposition MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari in Parliament.
Mr Ahmad had asked whether appointing those with court charges to the country’s administration would affect the “Malaysia Madani” agenda.
Malaysia Madani is the new slogan under Mr Anwar’s administration. The word “madani” in Arabic carries the general meaning of civilised, or modern.
Mr Anwar has been criticised for picking Zahid as deputy premier, given that the latter is on trial for dozens of graft charges.
More than two months on, this appointment continues to be an ”albatross around the neck” of the government, as Penang Deputy Chief Minister Ramasamy Palanisamy, who is part of Mr Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition, described it.
As recently as Feb 10, in an interview during his official visit to Bangkok, Mr Anwar had to again defend making Zahid his deputy, giving Zahid credit because “he never asks me to withdraw the (graft) case”.
Mr Anwar said on Tuesday that since Zahid’s appointment as deputy prime minister, he has followed all the principles and policies outlined by the government.
He gave an example of how several government-linked companies within Zahid’s purview had asked for immediate action on contracts, without tender.
“Instead, he (Zahid) had replied by asking the companies to follow the proper tender process,” Mr Anwar said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
