Former prime minister Najib Razak has filed an application to the Kuala Lumpur High Court to delay his trip to Singapore to allow him to oversee Umno’s preparations for the Malacca state elections.
The Pekan lawmaker said this is because party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will not be in the country to do it as he is undergoing medical treatment in Germany.
“I am entrusted with the responsibility to ensure Umno is managed in an orderly manner while Zahid is away,” Najib said in an amended affidavit.
The Malacca state elections are slated for November 20 with nominations set for November 8.
Earlier this week, the Court of Appeal allowed Najib’s impounded passport to be returned temporarily to allow him to travel to Singapore where his daughter, Norryana Najwa, is expected to give birth soon.
In his supporting affidavit to the appellate court, Najib mentioned that his daughter suffered serious complications and that the impending birth carries its own set of risks, stressing that he wanted to be present to give her moral support.
Najib was supposed to fly to Singapore on November 3, after completing his Budget 2022 debate in Parliament a day earlier and was expected to return on November 20.
He now wants to travel to the republic on November 21 and return on December 5.
Najib said he is placing his faith in wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who will be departing for Singapore ahead of him to monitor his daughter’s condition while he remains in Malaysia.
His application is scheduled to be heard on October 26.