Politics a factor driving call to review Zahid’s CBT case, says analyst

An analyst has suggested that the DAP Youth's call to review Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's criminal breach of trust case involving Yayasan Akalbudi may be influenced by political motives. Syaza Shukri, from the International Islamic University Malaysia, acknowledged that the party had a right to question Zahid's conditional acquittal, but questioned whether the same pressure was applied when Barisan Nasional's cooperation was essential for the unity government.

She noted that this call might be timely due to declining ties between the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) parties, with BN's decision to stand alone or ally with the opposition in recent state elections potentially making Pakatan Harapan dependent on BN's electoral support. DAP deputy secretary-general Ramkarpal Singh previously demanded an explanation for the classification of the case as requiring no further action.

Although some may view the DAP Youth's call as late, Syaza suggested that the party could mitigate damage by admitting their call was made more opportunistically. They could maintain their credibility by applying consistent standards across all cases, regardless of the political affiliations involved.