Gulam challenges PH to dissolve Parliament amid Najib pardon fallout

KUALA LUMPUR: Batu Umno division chief Datuk Gulam Muszaffar Gulam Mustakim has challenged Pakatan Harapan (PH) to seize what he described as an opportunity to dissolve Parliament following the controversy surrounding former prime minister Najib Razak’s conditional pardon.

Gulam said this followed an analysis by Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin academic Prof Dr Mohd Afandi Salleh, who argued that the conditional pardon had not strengthened Umno ahead of the 16th general election, but instead gave PH an advantage in retaining its core support.

“If Umno is indeed becoming weaker, as claimed by the analyst, then this is the best opportunity for the prime minister and PH to dissolve Parliament and seek a fresh mandate,” he said in a statement.

Gulam said political strategy dictated that an opponent should be challenged when perceived to be at its weakest, citing Sun Tzu’s The Art of War in making his point.

He questioned why Umno, which he claimed was in a weaker position, would challenge Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to dissolve Parliament if PH was supposedly in a stronger position.

“It is like a person who has lost an arm and a leg challenging a fully able-bodied and physically strong opponent to a martial arts fight,” he said.

Gulam also referred to the 2022 Johor state election, claiming PH had previously used Najib’s pardon as an electoral issue by suggesting that Najib would be freed if Barisan Nasional won.

“Did the people of Johor care? What is certain is that PH suffered a heavy defeat,” he said.

He also pointed to the solidarity fund launched for Najib following the conditional pardon, saying contributions to the fund could be viewed as an indication of continued support for the former prime minister.

Gulam said the RM50 million fine imposed under the terms of Najib’s conditional pardon should not be viewed simply in monetary terms, arguing that individual contributions represented a measure of public support for Najib.

“If RM50 million can be raised through five million supporters, PH will certainly be very concerned,” he said.

The remarks came after the conditional pardon granted to Najib on Sept 18, which allows him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to conditions including payment of a RM50 million fine.

Gulam’s comments followed Mohd Afandi’s analysis published by Utusan Malaysia on Sept 21, in which the academic said the pardon could benefit PH by helping it retain its core supporters ahead of GE16.