Pardon Row Puad Claims Harapan Leaders Fear Najib S Influence

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Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi today hit back at Najib Abdul Razak’s detractors who warned the government against granting the jailed former prime minister a royal pardon.
In a statement, he regarded Pakatan Harapan leaders, including Lim Kit Siang and Hassan Abdul Karim, as being afraid of the possibility that Najib would get out of jail and rejuvenate Umno.
"Lim has become the latest to say that the government can collapse if Najib is given a royal pardon.
"They are afraid that Najib will walk free. He is a threat to Harapan and (Prime Minister) Anwar (Ibrahim). They are afraid that Umno will become stronger under the Najib-(Ahmad) Zahid (Hamidi) combo.
"What more now as Zahid has cemented his position in Umno," Puad (above) said on Facebook.
He was responding to Lim, who in a statement this morning, warned that the government could self-destruct if Najib is granted a royal pardon.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul RazakPreviously, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim had also claimed that the government would face a major disaster if Najib is given a royal pardon.
Puad, who is the Johor state assembly speaker, went on to criticise Lim whom he claimed had forgotten how the previous Harapan administration under then - prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad collapsed in 2020.
"Lim may have forgotten that DAP was the reason why Mahathir’s government collapsed after only 22 months. DAP was the main reason why Muhyiddin (Yassin) orchestrated the Sheraton Move.
"Actually, DAP can also cause the collapse of this government…not Najib or Zahid.
"It was not easy for Umno to change the 'No DAP, No Anwar' policy because DAP and its ministers are acting like a ‘time bomb’," Puad said.
Last week, the Umno supreme council unanimously decided to appeal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to pardon Najib, who's currently serving a 12-year jail term for corruption in the SRC International case.
The council will also present to the monarch a memorandum signed by all 191 Umno division leaders. - Mkini

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