PERHAPS caretaker Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz should have abstained from being an aspiring politician by virtue of contesting as an UMNO-Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat in the forthcoming 15th General Election (GE15).
Perhaps the former CIMB Group Holdings Bhd CEO should have opted to retain his senatorship portfolio, thus not allowing his political ambition to get the better of him lest it will be distracting to his focus of managing Malaysia’s already dwindling coffers.
As veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin cynically put it in one of his recent Facebook posts: “Just a thought. If he’s (Tengku Zafrul) as good at managing the country’s finances as he’s with lubricating a motorcycle (and fishing for votes) (see main pic), we wouldn’t have been in the current dire situation.”
To be frank nobody saw it coming that Tengku Zafrul harboured political ambition as he was able to keep his political interest very close to his chest ever since he was made the finance minister by eighth prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin following the collapse of the 22-month-old Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration in the aftermath of the “Sheraton Move” that was orchestrated by some 10 PH defectors in February 2020.
Even as speculations abound about his political indulgence, it was not until July 31 this year when he was made Selangor Barisan Nasional’s (BN) new treasurer that his intended participation in GE15 became obvious.
Nobody knows for sure if contesting under the UMNO-BN ticket would have in any way ‘offended’ or perceived as a betrayal by Muhyiddin who was instrumental in absorbing Tengku Zafrul into his bloated Cabinet, then itself having stirred up a storm amid alleged family ties which makes the latter easy to bend.
However, this was denied by Tengku Zafrul who went on record to clear the air during an interview with business radio station BFM on Oct 8, 2020. It was reported that his brother, Tengku Zuhri, is said to be married to Muhyiddin’s eldest son’s sister-in-law, Fara Nadia Abd Rahim.
“How can someone be related through three marriages?” clarified Tengku Zafrul. “Not related.”
Whether Muhyiddin himself is taken aback or shell shocked by Tengku Zafrul’s ‘turncoat’ nature to be an UMNO-BN candidate given the latter is expected to show his loyalty to the former-led Bersatu and eventually the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition is as good as anybody’s guess.
Fast forward to the GE15 nomination day last Saturday (Nov 5), Tengku Zafrul will be engaged in a four-corner fight that features incumbent and former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH) who has postponed his political retirement plans to slug it out with the so-called newbie in the political arena.
The other two candidates in the running are PN’s Mohd Noor Mohd Sahar and Pejuang candidate Mohd Shaid Rosli who represents the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition.
On Sunday (Nov 6), Tengku Zafrul shared that he would opt to carry out his campaign in a civil manner and would not respond to accusations made against him by his contenders, including on his lavish spending. He also pledged not to resort to dirty politics to hit back at his opponents.
Local issues that he intends to resolve range from infrastructure and public transport to welfare, community and improving the quality of life, employment and business as well as education and skills development.
Through a post on his Facebook page, Tengku Zafrul said he promised to channel 100% of the MP’s allocation for the constituents as well as to publish an annual performance and financial report for everyone to review.
“The residents of Kuala Selangor will also benefit through the establishment of parliamentary service centres in the three state constituencies under Kuala Selangor which will operate six days a week,” he enthused, adding that the experience gained as Finance Minister will be used to help the people. – Nov 8, 2022
