Wrong to assume PN just about 3R, Khairy told

Perikatan Nasional's (PN) Hulu Selangor MP Mohd Hasnizan Harun has disagreed with former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin's view that the coalition has not been vocal in its response to the discharge granted to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi earlier this month.

In the latest edition of his Keluar Sekejap podcast with fellow former Umno man Shahril Hamdan, Khairy also said that PN needed more "goalscorers" to speak up on issues that do not involve identity politics or the 3R issues of race, royalty, and religion.

But Hasnizan said many PN leaders had spoken on such matters.

"Many of the issues proposed by the opposition have been flatly rejected by the speaker, such as the Ambalat issue and, most recently, how the prosecution does not want to continue with Zahid's case," he said to MalaysiaNow.

"Any motion that does not favour the government is rejected."

Khairy had said that PN's failure to capitalise on issues had led to its defeat at the recent by-elections in Johor, even though its candidates had won the Malay vote.

The former Umno Youth chief also said that PN could not only rely on 3R issues in order to win elections.

Hasnizan said the opposition had stood at the start of the special Parliament session to raise the issue of Zahid's court case.

He said the speaker had asked them to wait until Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had delivered his speech.

"But as soon as this was over, the speaker moved on to the adjournment," he said.

Anwar's government has been under fire over the prosecution's application for a discharge not amounting to acquittal for Zahid, who had faced 47 charges of corruption in the Yayasan Akalbudi case.

The latest development saw youth-based party Muda withdraw its support for the government, leaving it without a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Hasnizan said issues such as equal allocations for opposition MPs were also frequently raised, as were the cost of living, targeted withdrawals from the Employees Provident Fund, and matters regarding the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

"As long as the speaker is unfair and completely on the government's side, it will be difficult for us to bring up issues," he added, referring to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul.