Zahid S Legal Woes Seen As Irrelevant To Johor Polls

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Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s court case will not have a negative impact on Umno, says analyst Azmi Hassan.PETALING JAYA: Analysts expect Barisan Nasional’s chances of winning the Johor elections to remain good despite a recent High Court order on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to defend himself against all 47 charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering brought against him.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara and Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya told FMT they believed BN’s performance in last November’s Melaka polls showed that its leaders’ legal troubles had no bearing on its chances in state elections.
BN gained a two-thirds majority in the Melaka state assembly despite court cases involving several party members, including Zahid and former prime minister Najib Razak.
“I don’t see Zahid’s court case as having a negative impact on the party,” Azmi said.
Azmi Hassan.“I don’t think the party president plays an important role in securing victory in a state election. Local and state leaders have more influence on voters.”
Awang Azman said the High Court order was a “non-factor” because of Zahid’s big influence on the party grassroots.
“After all, in the legal context, a person is innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
Zahid is standing trial on money laundering charges and CBT involving millions of ringgit in Yayasan Akalbudi funds, and accepting bribes during his tenure as home minister. Twelve of the charges are for CBT, eight for corruption and the remainder for money laundering.
Ninety-nine witnesses have testified in the trial, which began on Nov 18, 2019.
Azmi said the court order did not provide any advantage for the opposition in Johor.
“I think Barisan Nasional will win the elections, not because the party is strong but because the opposition is too weak right now. Actually, I’m not sure if the opposition parties can retain their state seats,” he said.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim has said that the coalition would bring together all political parties, including Warisan, Muda and Pejuang, to contest all the 56 seats in Johor. - FMT

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