MP warns against linking Barisan’s election performance to Najib clemency issue
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.
“The royal pardon and the electoral process are entirely distinct, so it is illogical to connect them,” he said after attending a veterans’ programme in Taman Sri Lambak with Kahang Barisan candidate V. Rugendran yesterday.
Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib, who is Langkawi Umno chief, said that a landslide victory for Barisan would signal public support for a royal pardon for the former prime minister.
When asked about Nazifuddin’s remarks, Hishammuddin said the Umno leader was “still very young”, suggesting his comments were due to inexperience.
He noted that politics should not be driven by personal ambition or short-term interests.
He urged younger leaders to learn from those who had made sacrifices for the nation rather than being consumed by positions, personal gain or political rivalries.
Hishammuddin also warned against exploiting race and religion, saying such tactics were contrary to Johor’s long-standing culture of moderation and inclusiveness.
“It is easy 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, Datuk Onn Jaafar, who founded Umno, 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.
