Kedah Umno Youth: A ‘political mistake’ to appoint ex-AG into supreme council

PETALING JAYA: Kedah Umno Youth has criticised the new party supreme council lineup, particularly the appointment of Mohamed Apandi Ali, saying that this is a “political mistake” and will only drag the party further down into the mire.

In a statement yesterday, the state’s Umno Youth chief Datuk Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said the former attorney general’s appointment was a “desperate move” and showed Umno’s inability to cultivate internal talent and compete with the ruling Pakatan Harapan government.

“The strategy to appoint the former attorney general to the supreme council appears desperate and a last resort,” he said, adding that the rakyat were aware of his role in past scandals.

Mohamed Apandi was among the 11 announced as Umno supreme council members by party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi earlier yesterday.

Dr Ahmad Zahid added that he would be assisted by another supreme council member, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who is also the party’s legal head.

An unnamed party official said Apandi’s immediate task would be to claim the RM116.7 mil seized by police in its raids at Pavilion Residences condos linked to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, as part of the authorities’ investigations into 1MDB.

Mohamad Apandi, during his tenure as attorney general, had cleared Najib of any wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal.

The other 10 appointed members of the supreme council are Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, Datuk Norliza Abdul Rahim, Shahril Sufian Hamdan, Nurul Amal Mohd Fauzi, Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib, Datuk Johan Abdul Aziz, Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohamad and Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.