KUALA LUMPUR: Two Umno leaders have taken a jab at Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin over his statement which he insinuated that he could challenge his slim defeat in Bagan Datuk during the last general election.
Umno information chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said as an experienced politician, Shamsul should be more responsible when talking about election results to preserve political integrity.
Shamsul Iskandar who is the senior political secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, claimed in the Apa Cerita podcast recently that he had intended to challenge the result in Bagan Datuk as he was behind Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi by 348 votes, with 800 spoilt votes.
However, he said he was persuaded by a 2.30 am phone call from Anwar not to proceed as Barisan Nasional had agreed to join forces with Pakatan Harapan to form a government
Azalina said Shamsul Iskandar should be magnanimous in defeat and should have raised his objections with the Election Commission.
"Datuk Seri Shamsul should act magnanimously by accepting the outcome and utilising the Election Commission as the appropriate channel to lodge any objections, demonstrating a commitment to political integrity and professionalism.
"In this regard, I believe that Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Bagan Datuk MP, and all MPs from Barisan Nasional, have full confidence in the democratic process and are prepared to accept any decision made by the voters," she said in a Facebook post.
Azalina reminded Shamsul Iskandar to focus on the country's political stability and to avoid making any statements that could cause confusion, as this would only fuel unnecessary speculation, which in turn could lead to public doubt in Malaysia's democratic system.
Meanwhile, Zahid's daughter Nurulhidayah who is also a Wanita Umno exco member, said Shamsul's 'hallucination' was a result of him being a know-it-all and perceiving himself to be a hero.
"Are you saying that you made a sacrifice to join forces?" she said in a Facebook post while referring to BN and PH.
She said BN and PKR can now demand the EC to investigate Shamsul's claim and sue him for his statement.