JOHOR BARU: Pakatan Harapan should now go on the offensive ahead of the 16th General Election (GE16), following the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, says Hassan Abdul Karim.
"The conditional pardon granted to Najib has handed Pakatan a 'bola tanggung' (political opportunity) ahead of GE16.
"Only one day has passed, and it is already clear that the pardon granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to Najib under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution has put Umno at a disadvantage as it prepares to face the next general election," said the Pasir Gudang MP in a statement on Saturday (Sept 19).
Hassan further claimed that Najib's conditional pardon has put Umno and Barisan on the defensive.
"Before Najib was granted the pardon, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as Prime Minister, PKR president and Pakatan chairman, was very much the one on the defensive.
"He was criticised openly and on social media relentlessly every day.
"Now, the winds have changed. People are beginning to get angry because they see the country's justice system as having two standards," he said.
Hassan also pointed to Barisan's electoral record under Najib, noting that the coalition lost the popular vote in the 2013 general election before losing federal power in 2018.
He also questioned how Umno and PAS would position themselves on issues of clean and trustworthy governance following Najib's pardon.
"If in GE15 in 2022, PAS and Bersatu joined forces under Perikatan Nasional with the narrative of being 'clean and trustworthy', how can PAS and Umno now carry the same narrative with the presence of Najib?" he asked.
Hassan also said voters would ultimately decide how the latest development would affect their assessment of the country's political leaders.
On Friday (Sept 18), Najib was granted a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, provided that he fulfils all specified conditions, including the payment of a RM50mil fine.
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