JOHOR Umno Information chief Md Israk Abdullah today called on the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) to stop leveraging legal matters as a tool for political rhetoric.

In a statement, he said the party must respect the court’s decisions and the legal process, and must never attempt to undermine public confidence in the country’s judicial institutions.

“Mature politics requires us to present arguments and facts, not create misleading perceptions,” he said in a statement today.

His statement came in response to acting Muda president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, who had urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers to reopen the case involving Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“First and foremost, I would like to emphasise that Malaysia is a sovereign nation with a comprehensive and respected legal system.

“The decision to grant a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to the deputy prime minister was made by the court after considering arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

“It is a legitimate legal process based on the rule of law and it should not be distorted for narrow political interests.

“It is important to understand that a DNAA is not a political decision, but a legal one — which can be reviewed if the authorities find it necessary to do so.”

Israk said Muda should not attempt to replace the role of the courts with political pressure or rhetoric that could cause confusion and erode public confidence in the nation’s judiciary.

“As a new political party, Muda should focus on educating young people with mature, fact-based politics — not by planting baseless sentiments of hatred.

“Encouraging the public to distrust the judicial system is an irresponsible act that could undermine society’s confidence in the rule of law.”

In the statement, he also advised Amira Aisya, who is the Puteri Wangsa assemblywoman, that her primary duty is to serve the people in her constituency.