KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Umno supporters has demanded that the prime minister seek a royal pardon for Najib Razak following his incarceration over the SRC International case.
“The prime minister (Ismail Sabri Yaakob) should give a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” Pertubuhan Jalinan Perpaduan Negara president Syed Mohammad Imran Syed Abdul Aziz told reporters at Istana Negara where the supporters had gathered to present a petition on their demands for a royal pardon.
He also called on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to “order” the prime minister to act immediately on the matter.
He said that should Ismail refuse to follow up on the order, Umno should withdraw its support for the government and pave the way for a general election.
“We are pleading with the Umno president. As Umno members, please withdraw support (for the government) so that the Parliament is dissolve. If this does not happen, then we consider this government tyrannical.
“We would understand if this was Muhyiddin Yassin’s government, but this is a Barisan Nasional government and you are persecuting someone who has given a lot to the people.”
Syed Imran said that if Zahid and Ismail did not heed the calls immediately then he would leave the party.
“I might as well work with DAP because they help when their leaders are imprisoned. Umno only shows its power on social media,” he said, expressing disappointment that no Umno leader had come to participate in the submission of the group’s petition yesterday.
The group also threatened to reconvene in larger numbers at palace grounds should Ismail not follow through on its call.
The supporters also urged the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to summon the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki and Attorney-General Idrus Harun to explain whether there was a conflict of interest in the case involving Najib.
Earlier, more than 100 supporters of the group gathered in front of Istana Negara. The majority consisted of youth who came on motorcycles.
The submission of the petition was also made following the allegation that Court of Appeal judge Nazlan Ghazali, who previously handled Najib’s case in the High Court, had a conflict of interest related to his previous service.
Najib was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM210 million in 2020 after he was convicted on seven charges of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust over SRC funds amounting to RM42 million.
His conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal last December and affirmed by the Federal Court yesterday. – FMT
