“Kuala Lumpur has many entertainment centres, pubs, nightclubs, massage parlours, and immoral activities. There are a lot of underworld activists, cartels, and gangsters. Imagine if Kuala Lumpur's gangsters used their money and network to support certain candidates. The mayor's office would no longer be free.”
Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi
OPINION: When Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declared in 2015 that he had met the family of the wealthy Arab prince who supposedly “donated” billions to his then boss, Najib Abdul Razak, he seemed to expect the world to accept his words as unquestionable Gospel truth.
His bluff was called when Najib conceded in court 10 days ago that the RM42 million channelled into his account in the SRC International case was not an Arab donation.
Najib made this admission under cross-examination by SRC International Sdn Bhd’s counsel, Kwan Will Sen, as part of the RM42 million civil suit filed against him by SRC and its subsidiary, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd.
To put it in context, this was the exchange:
Kwan: The truth in your mind - if I can use those words - at this moment, is that the RM42 million has nothing to do with the Saudi donation?
Najib: Based on subsequent knowledge, yes.
Yesterday, we learnt about another tale from Puad, perhaps another chapter from an anthology -- Arabian Nights -- about gangsters influencing the outcome of mayoral elections in Kuala Lumpur.
Really? Does he mean that underworld bosses openly finance or endorse candidates? Would their cadres go door-to-door like the mak ciks to persuade occupants to vote for their candidate or party? Do they pass money to voters or host large dinners with an open bar?
Perhaps Puad is talking through experience or has peeked into his backyard to learn about political parties and their connections to the underworld.
In October 2013, it was Zahid, then Home Minister, who defended the Tiga Line underworld group, calling them his friends and urging them to do what they needed to do.
He implied that the Tiga Line Gang, a banned Malay gang, is misunderstood and quite harmless, and tacitly supporting activities of the gang.
The Tiga Line is believed to have ties with the Malay NGO Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Pekida), which is closely linked to Umno.
Zahid singled out the Tiga Line, insisting they were not thugs but rather a kind of “benevolent gangsters” who appeared only at festivals.
Zahid made these remarks at an event in Malacca, where he also threatened journalists present that he would close down their newspapers if they reported his statements.
Although he later clarified that his statement regarding the Tiga Line gangster group had been twisted.
"I never mentioned our people’s Tiga Line. I said it was a splinter group from Pekida, and that splinter group created Tiga Line,” he said.
But a three-minute video clip obtained by Malaysiakini said otherwise, and it can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjvytJpK7qA
With the cat out of the bag, Umno and Zahid retreated, hoping that Malaysians would easily forget that infamous speech and the connections to the underworld.
Now that Puad has written his own tale, it is necessary to put matters in the right perspective. Once again, politicians are shooting their mouths without any substantive evidence.
The irony in Umno’s warnings about “gangsters hijacking democracy” is that the party itself has long flirted with underworld connections.
From Zahid Hamidi’s open camaraderie with the Tiga Line gang to Puad’s fantastical tales of mobsters deciding mayoral races, the pattern is clear: Umno projects its own shadows onto others.
Other parties, for all their flaws, contest elections, raising their own funds and the backing of ordinary supporters. Their legitimacy rests on public trust, not on the patronage of cartels or the protection of gangland networks.
If Kuala Lumpur is ever to reclaim genuine democracy, it must reject the fearmongering of those who cry “gangsters” while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them.
And to keep them honest, the government must be reminded of Pakatan Harapan’s own manifesto pledge:
“… we need more effective democratisation to protect the interests of the people. Malaysians have the right to participate in the democratic process at the local government level to ensure their welfare is safeguarded.
“The Harapan government will work hard to empower democracy and transparency in DBKL through systematic methods. This effort will ensure that all Malaysians can elect representation that is reliable, inclusive, and represents the interests of the people, not the developers.”
Will we, the people, be told yet another tall tale when the next elections loom?
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