Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Hafidz Baharom: In defense of Nik Aziz

Introduction:

Hafidz Baharom is a 26 year old corporate communication executive with a Malaysian GLC. He is also a regular columnist in The Malaysian Insider and also the Nut Graph, two of the more well known online news portal in this country. His blog articles also appear in The Star Online's Citizens Blog which can be accessed here.

This article first appeared in Hafidz's facebook, and is reposted here for the benefit of all readers, and it does not constitute or taken to represent the opinion of Pas For All blog.
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Yes, yes. You read the title right.

I know. It's shocking.

While I am one to constantly bash PAS for their constant interference into my entertainment calendar and my lifestyle choices, I don't begrudge their leader to the point of stopping him from going off for pilgrimage merely due to the funding being from questionable resources.

I don't look to Nik Aziz as my savior, nor do I view him as my personal religious teacher. However, I do view him as a respectable politician and as an MB who is receiving gifts from various sources to assist him in his simple and rather cheap lifestyle.

For UMNO Kelantan to voice out that he should resign for such an act shows their hypocrisy rather clearly, particularly when they have yet to even voice their discordance against having a party president who may have had a part in blowing up a Mongolian mediator who helped in the purchase of two submarines contracted out to the French.

One of which is now back and garnering enough attention in Parliament full of jakuns.

Nik Aziz may be an anti-smoking nut who calls smokers stupider than cows. He may even be a nutcase for calling those who vote for UMNO as less than civilised.

However, Nik Aziz is not someone who would take RM65,000 from dubious sources to fund his haj, as he has proven rather tearfully.

And in doing so, he has proven that he has more credibility than the MP of Pasir Salak who paid off 7 million ringgit and was found guilty in an UMNO election.

He has more credibility than Khir Toyo and multiple former Selangor UMNO people in power who have now to face multiple backlash due to Khalid Ibrahim's transparency policies.

He has more credibility than the MP from Rembau and the MB of Negri Sembilan himself, both of whom were guilty in money politics.

So please, leave 'Saint' Nik alone and look into a mirror, UMNO.