Malaysian DPM Zahid accused of vote-buying in campaign for state polls
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Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi announced a RM450,000 (S$133,000) grant for youth bodies in Terengganu, which would be increased if they created a “blue and red wave”.
PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi has been accused by rival parties of vote-buying ahead of state elections, after he referred to increasing allocations during a campaign speech in Terengganu.
Terengganu is one of the six states headed to the polls on Aug 12,
Terengganu’s incumbent ruling party Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) have filed police reports over Datuk Seri Zahid’s Friday announcement of a RM450,000 (S$133,000) grant for youth bodies in the eastern state, which would be increased if they created a “blue and red wave” – thinly-veiled references to the colours of his Barisan Nasional (BN) and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalitions that are now partners in the federal administration.
The accusation brings into focus the Premier’s oft-repeated zero-tolerance stance against corruption, which already has its doubters after he appointed Dr Zahid as deputy prime minister despite the BN chief facing 47 charges of bribery, money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
Datuk Seri Anwar has defended Dr Zahid, who is also president of Umno, the linchpin party in BN.
“It has nothing to do with state elections; someone suggested no announcements (should be made) at all, but I’m the prime minister and I have a country to take care of. If (the allocation) is important, then we will announce it,” Mr Anwar said on Sunday.
This follows anti-graft chief Azam Baki’s dismissal of the attacks on Saturday, insisting that “what is important is that the youth need sufficient allocation”.
“In my opinion, there is no problem with the giving of these grants as it is a government initiative. If it is an allocation for an initiative that has been approved by the government, there are no elements of corruption,” the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission head was quoted as saying by Malay-language daily Sinar Harian.
Critics, however, say these comments ignore the conditional element in Dr Zahid’s speech.
“Zahid clearly says ‘vote red and blue this Aug 12’. How is that not related to state polls?” asked Muda central committee member Ainie Haziqah in a tweet responding to the premier.
In a video recording seen by The Straits Times of the speech in Dungun, Terengganu, Dr Zahid took credit for increasing allocations to youth organisations before dishing out another RM450,000.
“That is just me. After this, PM will come and top up, God willing,” he said, just hours before nominations opened on Saturday for the polls. “As long as on Aug 12, the youth join the blue and red wave in Terengganu. Okay?”
The speech has been widely panned by rivals for the polls involving half of Malaysia’s electorate, and seen as a referendum not just on the performance of the administrations in six of the nation’s 13 states, but also the Anwar government in Putrajaya.
“Providing various grants and financial contributions with the condition of voting for BN-PH is clearly an act of corruption ahead of the state elections,” said PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, whose party is a key component of former premier Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
Muda president Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman accused Dr Zahid of “normalising corruption”, while electoral watchdog Bersih stressed that the BN chief’s special allocation and conditional offer was an example of abuse of power and could dampen “trust in any policy announcements and allocations by all federal ministries and agencies during the six state elections”.
“Bersih strongly urges PM Anwar Ibrahim to control his Cabinet members and all heads of federal agencies to not recklessly make policy announcements or provisions... targeted at states facing polls to attract support. Any previous conditional announcements, including Zahid’s statement in Terengganu, must be cancelled immediately,” the civil society group said.
Dr Zahid’s leadership of BN, while burdened by graft charges, is widely attributed as a key factor of the once dominant coalition’s worst-ever election result, slumping to just 30 parliamentary seats won at November’s national polls.
In January, he had rubbished PAS counterpart Hadi Awang’s claim that cash handouts in Terengganu during the general election were merely donations.
“If he does it, then it’s donation, but if others do it, it’s corruption,” said Dr Zahid. “These ulamas (religious scholars) should stop changing (their views). In the end, these political ulamas will not be respected by the public and Muslims.”
The courts have since nullified PN’s victory in Kuala Terengganu after Umno’s election petition claiming bribery in the distribution of financial aid from the state government, triggering a parliamentary by-election that is being held concurrently with the state vote.
