PETALING JAYA: The PAS rally for Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Jan 6 next year is meant to seek justice for the jailed former premier and not due to worsening ties within Perikatan Nasional, say party leaders.
They said Umno members and leaders, as well Perikatan’s top leaders including from Bersatu, will be attending the rally scheduled to take place outside of the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya.
However, some Umno leaders and an analyst dispute the Islamist party’s intentions as PAS was part of the Federal Government when Najib was sent to jail and did nothing to prevent it.
Instead, they argued that PAS was likely trying to score political points against the unity government and gain support from Najib, who is still popular with rank-and-file Umno members.
The rally would be on the same day that the Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear an appeal from Najib on an earlier High Court decision concerning an alleged royal addendum order that allegedly would allow Najib to serve the rest of his prison term under house arrest.
PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man dismissed rumours that the gathering is due to worsening ties with its Perikatan coalition partner.
“It is untrue to assume that this rally was due to Perikatan’s internal problems, as there are Bersatu leaders who are pressuring the government to explain the addendum issue in Parliament,” he told The Star.
“The rally is to demand answers from Putrajaya on the addendum. Is there an addendum and why was it not implemented?
“This is a people’s gathering organised by PAS and we invite everyone to seek justice for all,” added Tuan Ibrahim.
Speculation of strained ties in Perikatan came about after its chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced key appointments in the coalition recently. Two days later, Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar of PAS abruptly resigned from his position as Perikatan treasurer.Recently, PAS youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden had expressed his disagreement with the appointment of Datuk Seri Mohd Azmin Ali of Bersatu as Perikatan secretary-general, saying the post should instead go to PAS.
PAS central working committee member Khairil Nizam Khirudin also dismissed talk that the rally was due to problems within Perikatan, saying that the Islamist party had spoken out about the addendum in Parliament this year.
“PAS raised this issue in Parliament. Not Umno. Refer to the Parliamentary debates and also the statement made by Najib’s son himself recently. The rally is open to all, including all Perikatan parties,” said Khairil.
Najib’s son Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin told supporters at a gathering in Ampang on Dec 28 that 118 Umno supporters and 100 from PAS will be attending the rally.
Najib, 71, began serving a 12-year jail term in August 2022 for offences linked to the misuse of public money from former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) unit SRC International. The sentence was later halved by the Pardons Board.
Najib then claimed that there was a royal addendum, purportedly issued by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, that would allow him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest.
On July 3, the High Court dismissed a judicial review from Najib to determine the existence of the addendum order.
Commenting on PAS’s rally, Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam said he doesn’t believe that the Islamist party is sincere in backing the jailed former premier.
“PAS is trying to score political mileage as Najib is an influential leader who is close to the people.
“When PAS was in power, they did nothing for Najib. They are part of the former Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob government that put Najib in jail.”
Lokman also said the gathering is not a joint event with Umno, as the latter’s rally is being organised by former Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.
“If PAS wants to come out to support Najib, it is their decision. This is a democratic country,” he added.
Political analyst Azmi Hassan echoed Lokman, saying that PAS thinks it could gain political mileage but in the end, the initiative could also hurt the party.
“They are trying to gain political mileage by showing that they are the party that can protect the interests of Umno members who are sympathetic to Najib,” said Azmi, who is a senior fellow from the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research.
But were Najib to be eventually placed under house arrest, it would not bode well for PAS, he added.
“The house arrest will make Umno more influential and stronger within the government. This will indirectly impact PAS negatively.
“So, I don’t see any reason why they are seeking justice for Najib, except than trying to paint a bad picture of Umno and for political mileage,” said Azmi.
