KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Facing corruption charges, former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today described the coalition government led by his one-time ally-turned-nemesis Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a union that is “luar tabi’i” or “unnatural”.
Speaking to hundreds of Bersatu delegates at the party’s annual general assembly here, the Pagoh MP accused Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi of trying to put him in jail because they were afraid of him.
Muhyiddin also claimed to be the first political leader to be charged in court over his party’s funds, adding that there is no law that prohibits politicians from sourcing them from businessmen.
“I’m just wondering why the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) didn’t investigate PKR and Umno for political funding? Just me? How is this not political prosecution?
“In reality, both of them are afraid of me as Perikatan Nasional’s chairman and Bersatu president. They want to bring me down so I won’t bring them down, them and their unholy and unnatural union,” Muhyiddin said in his speech.
He said Umno was the main ruling party before last November’s general election, adding that the man who succeeded him as prime minister was also from the Malay nationalist party at that time.
He said Umno leaders in Perak, Pahang, Melaka, and Johor were also the heads of the state governments back then, and asked if they too did not receive political funding from businessmen.
He also said PKR leaders were the heads of government for Selangor and Negri Sembilan, and that DAP ran the Penang government.
“Don't PKR and DAP get funding from businessmen as well? We made many reports so MACC can investigate these party funds but they only investigated Bersatu and they charged its president.
“Even the mainstream media and their sources wrote that I would be charged in court before any news came out. It was as though they pre-planned all this stating by hook or by crook that he has to be charged,” Muhyiddin said, referring to his charging in the Sessions Court here last Friday.
“I say again, I am not guilty and I will answer all these charges in court as I've been told by my team there are lots of weaknesses in this case,” he said emphatically.
Muhyiddin had been called by the MACC to its headquarters in Putrajaya last Thursday to answer questions about his coalition’s funds used during the 15th general election.
The Jana Wibawa, or “Program Jana Ekonomi Pemerkasaan Kontraktor Bumiputera Berwibawa”, was introduced by the Muhyiddin administration, ostensibly to expedite project execution to spur the nation’s economic recovery post Covid-19 pandemic.
Here's a list of his charges so far.
