‘Nothing to be ashamed of’: Akmal backs Umno leaders facing charges

Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh announced that a meeting of the Federal Territories Pardons Board is scheduled for tomorrow morning. This comes after sources revealed that Najib Razak's pardon application may be among the items to be discussed at the meeting.

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has come to the defense of party leaders facing charges, emphasizing that there is no shame in supporting them, as they have not yet been convicted of any wrongdoing. Citing the case of former Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, Dr Akmal argued that merely being charged does not equate to guilt, questioning why one should feel ashamed of defending their leaders.

Dr Akmal cited other Umno leaders who have faced charges, including former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is currently serving time for the SRC International case and a further 15 years for the 1MDB case. He drew a parallel between Umno's support for its leaders and the demonstrations by Anwar Ibrahim's supporters when the PKR president was imprisoned, expressing that Umno never felt ashamed in those instances either.

Dr Akmal defended Najib Razak's second application for a royal pardon in his SRC case, noting that Umno has never questioned the king's decision to grant Anwar Ibrahim a pardon in 2018. He stressed that the king has the sole authority to grant pardons and cautioned against challenging the king's power. Dr Akmal pledged that Umno Youth will rally if any individual or organization questions the king's authority, vowing to stand by their leaders "all the way."