Umno president Zahid Hamidi’s voice quivered as he recited a poem titled Buat Seorang Sahabat (For A Friend), tears streaming down his face, during the closing ceremony of the party’s general assembly last weekend.
The emotional tribute was aimed at Najib Razak, the former Malaysian prime minister and Umno chief, who is currently serving a prison sentence following his 2020 conviction related to the 1MDB scandal. As the live broadcast panned to other weeping party members, Datuk Seri Zahid, who is Malaysia’s deputy prime minister, vowed to “work towards your freedom and ensure that you will return to us”.
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