SEMBRONG: Attempts to link Barisan Nasional's performance in the Johor election to a royal pardon for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak are illogical, says Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
The Sembrong MP said the electoral process and the royal pardon process were separate matters, responding to remarks by Najib's son, Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Mohd Najib, that a big Barisan victory in Johor would signal public support for Najib to receive a royal pardon.
"Pardon and whatnot have got their own process. Elections have their own process.
"To try and link the two together... it is not very logical.
“The process of a royal pardon is different from the electoral process, so it is not quite right to connect the two," he told reporters after attending a veterans' programme in Taman Sri Lambak with Kahang Barisan candidate V. Rugendran on Saturday (July 4).
When asked about Nazifuddin's remarks, Hishammuddin, who is Najib's cousin, described the Umno leader as "still very young" and suggested the comments stemmed from inexperience.
"Maybe it's from inexperience," he said.
Nazifuddin had reportedly said a landslide Barisan victory in the Johor election would signal that the people still supported Najib and hoped he would receive a royal pardon.
However, he also acknowledged that the granting of a pardon was the prerogative of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Hishammuddin, who is campaigning for Barisan's candidates in Sembrong, also reiterated that politics should not be driven by personal ambition or short-term interests.
Addressing army veterans and supporters earlier, he urged younger leaders to learn from those who had sacrificed for the nation instead of becoming consumed by positions, personal gain or political rivalries.
"Get out of narrow thinking. Get out of the mindset centred on personal interests, ego, greed for positions and material wealth.
"None of that carries any meaning if our dignity, unity and freedom are at stake," he said.
Hishammuddin also warned against exploiting race and religion for political gains, saying such tactics were contrary to Johor's long-standing culture of moderation and inclusiveness.
"It is easy during an election to pit one race or religion against another, but that is not our way here.
"We are Bangsa Johor. We were brought up by leaders who were not greedy or power-hungry," he said.
Drawing on the legacy of his grandfather, Umno founder Datuk Onn Jaafar, Hishammuddin said leaders should be willing to put the nation's interests above personal or political considerations.
He said Johor's multiracial harmony should continue to serve as an example, adding that stability could only be preserved if leaders remained focused on the bigger national agenda rather than divisive politics.
