SHAH ALAM - Former Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin has accused Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of engaging in bribery during a ceremony in Terengganu on Friday.
Khairy made this allegation during Saturday's episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast, expressing doubts about any potential investigation into the matter under the Anti-Corruption Act.
During the ceremony, Zahid announced a grant of RM100,000 to the Central Terengganu Development Board's Joint Youth Association (Ketengah), along with an allocation of RM250,000 to the Malaysian Terengganu Youth Council.
Additionally, a RM200,000 allocation was announced for motoring associations in the state.
Zahid further said that the amount might increase depending on the group's performance in the state polls on Aug 12.
The announcement took place at the Opening Ceremony of the Top Generation Sustainable Youth Association (Lesgu) in conjunction with the Sentuhan Kasih Desa programme in Bandar Al Muktafi Billah Shah, Dungun, Terengganu.
Joining Khairy in slamming Zahid's actions, former Umno Youth vice leader Shahril Hamdan also considered the move a mistake.
Shahril mentioned that Zahid appeared to specify the youth of Terengganu and added a condition related to voting for PH (Pakatan Harapan) or BN (Barisan Nasional).
Shahril questioned the appropriateness of such statements prior to the nomination and urged PH-BN supporters to decide how to address the issue.
"He (Zahid) was speaking specifically for the youth of Terengganu. He said that he would add on another condition of having to vote for PH, BN... maybe from a technical standpoint, he can say such a thing prior to the nomination. I'm not sure.
"This is definitely not right. It's up to PH-BN supporters if they just want to let it go," he said.