KJ: If You've Freed Zahid, Free Najib Too Because He Will Bring BN-PH More Benefits
Khairy Jamaluddin said he felt sorry that the unity government had to resort to freeing Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during the month that marks the 25th anniversary of 'reformasi'.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 07 Sep 2023, 06:17 PM
Former UMNO youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the release of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be more beneficial to the unity government than the release of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Khairy, who was sacked by the party in January, made the statement during the 47th episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast, which he co-hosts with Shahril Sufian Hamdan, the former UMNO information chief who is currently suspended by the party as well.
"To be honest, my advice to Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN)... If you have freed Zahid, free Najib, too.
"At least, he (Najib) adds values to PH-BN. Compare bossku (Najib) and Zahid, who will be more beneficial to PH-BN to curb the 'green wave'?" Khairy said in the episode yesterday, 6 September.
The former youth and sports minister accused the unity government of employing a 'kitchen sink' approach, which he described as a strategy of taking unfavourable actions initially with the hope that the situation will improve later.
He claimed the unity government freed Zahid at the beginning of its administration, so that Malaysians will forget what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has done towards the end of his five-year administration.
Khairy said he felt sorry that the unity government had to resort to granting Zahid a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) because this month celebrates the 25th anniversary of reformasi
"If you want to use the jargon 'schadenfreude', whereby I gain happiness from people's struggles — which, in this context, is the government because they are forced to address (this mess) — but I don't feel happy.
"I feel sad that we have reached this point... and this is the price that needs to be paid for (the formation) of this government... for Anwar to become the Prime Minister.
"I feel sorry for Anwar because yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the reformasi (reformation) movement.
"But yesterday, what was (written) on the tombstone was 'reformati' (the death of the reformation movement).
"This man (Anwar) has suffered to become the Prime Minister. When we look at his 'character development', you surely want a good ending for him. And he has this (granting Zahid a DNAA) to deal with? He has to deal with this?" lamented Khairy.
In response, Shahril said Anwar and his supporters probably agreed that freeing Zahid is a "good price" to pay in order to become a Prime Minister that is good for the country.
Khairy also predicted that with Zahid's release, Najib will not serve his full 12-year prison term, and the news is likely to emerge in the next two years.
The duo discussed Zahid being granted a DNAA for a total of 36 minutes in the podcast. They both agreed that under the current administration, Malaysia has moved away from being a "nation of hope", "nation of principles", and "nation of ideals", but has become a "nation of compromises" despite the promise of good governance by PH, which is one of the coalitions in the unity government.
On Monday, 4 September, the prosecution requested the KL High Court to grant Zahid a DNAA, saying it requires more time to examine about 200 pages of representations that Zahid submitted
The DNAA was also granted in view of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) that was launched to look into claims made in former attorney-general (AG) Tommy Thomas' controversial memoir.
The RCI was formed to investigate the allegations of selective prosecution during Thomas' tenure as the AG, specifically.
Being granted DNAA does not mean that the accused is freed from the charges. Instead, the case is temporarily put on hold or suspended, and the prosecution has the option to refile the charges or reinstate the case at a later time if new evidence or circumstances warrant it.
With that said, Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah said it would be a waste of precious judicial time and a great amount of taxpayers' money if the prosecution decides not to proceed with the charges after five years of hearing the case, reported FMT.
