Don’t dismiss public unease over Musa Aman and Riza Aziz acquittals, Umno info chief warns Perikatan
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration must not take lightly the perceived democratic “deficit” following recent decisions by the prosecution to discontinue Riza Aziz and Tan Sri Musa Aman’s court cases, Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan said.
(MMO) – In a recent interview with Malay Mail, Shahril acknowledges that the public backlash against the recent decisions has the potential to paint the PN administration, of which Umno is a part of, in a bad light.
“Notwithstanding the merits or mitigating factors of specific cases, for example the ICAC investigation with Musa Aman, I’m not under any illusion that on the face of it, it doesn’t help our image vis-à-vis the perception of democratic deficit,’’ he said, referring to the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong.
“There was a time Umno dismissed the same concerns as urbanite or liberal, as if those were pejoratives to be ignored in some grander scheme. I don’t want the new setup of which Umno is a part to revert to that,’’ he said, referring to Umno’s position within the PN administration.
“Of course, as a matter of fairness, I also hope the public considers the specific circumstances of each case and with regard to charges being dropped, accord the same standards to curious decisions made during the PH administration too,” he added.
