KUALA LUMPUR: Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa says the party should no longer defend former president Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Najib, who is facing seven criminal breach of trust charges in court, was described by Annuar as “baggage” that Umno could no longer carry.
“We must continue this journey. We are not going to wait. We are not going to waste our time defending Najib.
“We in Umno cannot carry this baggage forever. There must be a cut-off. It is entirely his (Najib’s) responsibility,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with The Malaysian Insight.
Annuar, who is Ketereh member of parliament, said Umno’s focus should be on rebuilding the party as it is bigger than any individual.
“Najib is one person, no one is indispensable. Najib is no longer the president of the party. To me, he is just a party member. Whether people support him or not, it is immaterial.
“The party is more important than any individual. Najib has already relinquished his position and now the party is under a new administration. We are going to do it the new way.
“We are not going to wait for Najib to settle his cases in court,” he was quoted as saying.
Annuar said the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) issue has nothing to do with Umno, and was neither consulted nor informed on the issue.
He added that in the past, Umno leaders had to defend Najib given that he was the prime minister and party president.
His remarks came a day after Titiwanga Umno division chief Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani had said it was a mistake to allow Najib to campaign in the Sungai Kandis by-election, given his current corruption charges.
Johari had said that Umno needs a fresh start, where it prioritises leaders with integrity and credibility as its main agenda in its struggles.
Johari’s statement, however, came under fire from current Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid had said that friends should not be discarded just because they are no longer in positions of power.
“Don’t kick a man when he’s down,” he was quoted as saying.
He also clarified that Najib’s presence during the campaigning period was upon the invitation of the Barisan Nasional candidate, Datuk Lokman Noor Adam, and done with the best of intentions.