THAT Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek has publicly acknowledged Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as her “role model” and “teacher” has left human rights activist and lawyer Charles Hector worried about her suitability as the custodian of young Malaysians in the education sphere.
For context, the first term PKR MP for Nibong Tebal who is also Malaysia’s first female Education Minister has showered praise on Zahid by naming the UMNO president as one of her “two important teachers in the Madani leadership”, the other being Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Every time the PM gets angry at me, it’s Zahid who will defend me,” she told the audience at a recent national level Teacher’s Day celebration event. “So, I have two role models, one who is angry because he wants me to keep working hard and one who defends me because he wants me to keep being better.”
In Hector’s contention, Fadhlina who is also the PKR women’s wing chief has erred in both her choice of “teacher” and “role model” given Zahid was embroiled in 47 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering in relation to the Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
This was prior to the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted him a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) on Sept 4 last year at the request of Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar’s on grounds that the prosecution had wanted to investigate the case in greater depth.
“Let us not forget that the prosecution had already proved a prima facie case of 47 charges on Zahid,” asserted Hector in his latest blog.
“This means that he will definitely be convicted and sentenced unless he is able to raise ‘reasonable doubt’ at the defence level which he had already failed to do in cross-examination of the prosecution witness.”
Additionally, Hector also lamented that Zahid did not take a position in the 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd) scandal like what the Bersatu president and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin did.
“In fact, he still believes that Najib didn’t commit any crime… So, if Fadhlina, considers Zahid a ‘teacher’ and a ‘role model’, this is indicative of her character, moral values and principles. I certainly will not want her to be Education Minister,” insisted the co-founder of NGO Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (MADPET).
“Anwar should consider a new Education Minister … In fact, he really should remove Zahid from Cabinet. It’s interesting to note that this DPM Zahid may be behaving more like the PM of Malaysia judging from the number of media reports about him (he is likely the first DPM who speaks so much and appears so often in the media).” – May 21, 2024
