PUTRAJAYA, April 30 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today dismissed allegations that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is carrying out political persecution against opposition leaders, describing the claim as a standard attempt to “politicise everything.”
“Everything is turned into political capital,” he said in response to questions by reporters who approached the Umno leader at a Hari Raya event here.
Perikatan Nasional leaders have accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government of political witch-hunting after Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli was hauled by the MACC for questioning this afternoon, making the Bersatu leader the latest opposition member to have been investigated for corruption.
Anwar has consistently maintained that these investigations are independent.
Zahid himself had claimed trial for over 40 counts of corruption, money laundering and criminal breach of trust charges, and had called the charges against him a form of vindictive politics carried out by his political rivals in the government at the time.
Despite having proven a prima facie case, the prosecution later appealed for a dismissal not amounting to an acquittal in a move that drew strong public condemnation. The High Court granted the DNAA in September last year.
Commenting on the series of actions against opposition leaders, Zahid said the MACC should be allowed to do its job.
“I myself had said that they should just husnuzon and let the MACC do its job fairly,” the Umno president said, using the Arabic term meaning "assuming good in others".
