Umno’s deception in fielding a dishonest candidate

— So low has Umno sunk that its leaders have no qualms about fielding for a by-election a candidate as tainted as Rohaizat Othman.

It says much about the value system of deputy party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and its Penang state chief Datuk Zahid Hamidi that they defended Rohaizat’s transgression as minor.

Worse yet, they tried to portray the candidate for Permatang Pasir as an innocent victim.

Throughout yesterday, Umno’s leaders put up a fantastic script to defend their choice of candidate.

They tried to shift the blame to his former partner for Rohaizat being found guilty by the Malaysian Bar’s disciplinary board for misconduct when he failed to return some RM160,000 of a client’s money.

They did not let the fact of the Bar Council’s statement yesterday that lawyers are only found guilty and disbarred over their own misconduct and that one is not penalised for the acts of one’s partner get in the way of their defence.

They also did not let the fact that Rohaizat had lost an appeal against the Bar’s decision in the High Court last Wednesday, just five days before nomination for the Permatang Pasir vote, get in the way of their defence.

The facts are clear: Rohaizat was dishonest. He withheld money from his own client and was disbarred.

This is not an everyday occurrence.

The council’s decision to strike him off the rolls of advocates and solicitors was upheld by the High Court — a clear indication that Rohaizat’s transgression was serious.

Umno’s choice of candidate is disturbing on several levels.

It shows the disconnect between Umno and the rest of the country.

It indicates the paucity of talent within the ruling party.

It lends credence to barbs that Umno’s talk of fielding good, clean candidates is just talk.

Also troubling is the fact that top Umno leaders believed that a man who cheated a client is worthy of the trust of his constituents and a place in the legislature. (TMI)