Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan being charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today with accepting a bribe of nearly RM7 million in connection with the Jana Wibawa initiative will not hurt the party’s chances in the upcoming state elections, says political analyst Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk.
Azeem said one only has to look at Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who had 47 charges hanging over him ahead of Malaysia’s 15th General Election last November, as an example.
Not only did Ahmad Zahid win his seat (Bagan Datuk), he was also appointed deputy prime minister.
“In Malaysia, someone charged with corruption can still go around and talk about policies and politics, and even win a seat in Parliament. It has become normal,” said Azeem.
“That person (Ahmad Zahid) even became the country’s deputy prime minister. Wan Saiful is merely a Member of Parliament, so I do not see his case impacting Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) chances in the state polls.”
Bersatu is a part of the PN coalition. The others are Pas and Gerakan.
Six states – Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan, Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor – must hold elections before July.
Azeem, who is director of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies, said PN would likely win big in Kedah, Terengganu, and Kelantan, with even odds in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) will most likely retain Penang, thanks to the overwhelming support for DAP.
“Pas is the main party in PN, even though Bersatu is seen as the ‘leader’. But in terms of popularity, it is the Islamic party that has the most votes,” said Azeem.
“As such, I do not see Wan Saiful’s case having a big impact on the outcome of the elections.”
At the Sessions Court today, Wan Saiful was also charged with soliciting an unspecified amount for a road project worth RM232 million linked to the Jana Wibawa programme – a Covid-19 stimulus initiative to help Bumiputera contractors.
Azeem also pointed out that PN supporters believe that Wan Saiful is a victim of a systematic and sustained campaign of political witch-hunt.
“The government’s enemies believe this… the clamour surrounding the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) scandal has gone quiet,” said Azeem.
“It was a big issue during GE15, but now that Umno is part of the government, no one is talking about it.
“That is the narrative PN supporters want to believe.”