You’re on your own, Zahid tells those still insisting on gathering in Putrajaya tomorrow despite cops’ warning

BANGI, Jan 5 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has urged party members not to attend a gathering scheduled to take place at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya tomorrow.

Bernama quoted the deputy prime minister stating that any members who insist on participating in the gathering will have to bear the risks on their own.

“If there are individuals attending the solidarity gathering, they must take personal responsibility for the risks involved,” he said.

“We also hope that there will be no organisers from any UMNO division or branch officially involved in the gathering,” Zahid told reporters after officiating the Kuali Cafe@Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia here.

On January 3, Umno secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki had announced the cancellation of a rally in Putrajaya to support former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The cancellation followed a statement from Istana Negara clarifying that applications for pardons or sentence reductions must be submitted by the prisoner themselves to the Pardons Board, chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Tomorrow, Najib will be heading to court in Putrajaya for the appeal hearing against the dismissal of his bid to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence under house arrest.

Authorities are on high alert as Islamist party PAS and hardline groups Ummah and Perkasa continue to maintain their stance, despite the police’s firm stance on the issue.