“This was why those who are facing corruption charges are contesting in the general election,” he said in what appeared to be a reference to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, who are facing criminal charges.

“But it is ok, that is their problem, not ours,” he said when unveiling the PN manifesto.

Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president, said he was confident that voters would know how to assess who was more committed in ensuring that the nation was free of corruption and “kleptocrats”, a term that PN and PH have used against Umno leaders such as Najib Razak.

He said PN was serious about integrity. PN candidates had not only taken an anti-corruption pledge but had also been thoroughly vetted.

The coalition would bar any potential candidate with a criminal record, who were under investigation by the anti-graft agency or faced corruption charges in court, Muhyiddin said.

He said a PN government would continue with the implementation of the national anti-corruption plan, a five-year initiative introduced by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2019 as a comprehensive policy to end corruption.

“We would also set up an anti-corruption court and amend laws in relation to political funding to curb the menace.”

Lim is currently standing trial on charges of using his position as then Penang chief minister to ask for a 10% cut from an undersea tunnel project and of accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks.

Zahid is facing 47 counts of money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving millions of ringgit from Yayasan Akalbudi and accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as home minister.

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