KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — DAP’s Lim Kit Siang asked today if Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s return as Umno president indicated the party was now ready to reform or simply to prop up former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The Iskandar Puteri MP said Malaysians will learn which when Parliament reconvenes later this morning and if Zahid resumes the federal Opposition leader role from Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Commenting on Zahid’s announcement that he will recommence in duties he had relinquished following the first of his 87 criminal charges, Lim noted that the reasons the former gave previously for going on leave remain unresolved.
He further pointed that Najib also played a role in quelling the discontent over Zahid’s return, despite not having cleared himself of the existing charges.
“Will he now lead Umno to demonstrate remorse, contrition or repentance among Umno leaders for this great act of disservice, even treason, to the country?
“Or is Zahid’s return from his garden leave merely to ensure that Umno is nothing but a Bossku outfit with him playing the role of Bossku proxy, as Najib senses that he might lose control of Umno?” Lim said in a statement.
The DAP leader pointed out that Zahid’s return was not universally accepted and highlighted that former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said this should have been referred to the Malay nationalist party’s leadership for discussion first.
After he was first charged with money laundering last year, Zahid handed his duties as Umno president to his deputy, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Yesterday, and in the same week he was hit with new corruption charges, Zahid said he was returning as Umno president one year to the day he was voted in by the party.
Zahid succeeded Najib, who resigned as party president shortly after leading Barisan Nasional to defeat in the 14th general election last year.
Both Zahid and Najib remain on trial for over a hundred charges of money laundering, corruption and abuse between the two of them.
