The premier was accused of using state funds to go to Kazakhstan in relation to his daughter's wedding. But the Umno Youth chief calls this a cheap shot.
PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin today defended Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s official trip to Kazakhstan, which had come under fire from opposition leaders.
It was alleged that the prime minister was misusing public funds to go there in relation to his daughter’s wedding.
Attacking PAS’s Dzulkefly Ahmad, who first raised the allegation, Khairy said the Kuala Selangor MP had made a “cheap shot” and was concocting “despicable lies” and “desperate spins”.
“I thought Dzulkefly was a decent guy. Didn’t think he was capable of despicable lies and desperate spins,” Khairy said on Twitter.
The Umno Youth chief, who is in Kazakhstan with Najib, suggested that it was impossible that the trip was planned just for personal reasons as the Seventh World Islamic Forum (WIEF) was a major international event.
“How long do you think it takes to organise a major international forum like WIEF? You think this was done for that?” asked Khairy, stressing that the event was already planned one year in advance.
He also poked fun at Dzulkefly for not being invited to the forum eventhough he was a “great mind”.
Explain in Parliament
Meanwhile, Sarawak DAP leader Wong Ho Leng said that the matter should be discussed in Parliament and Najib should come up with answers.
“The truth must be told in Parliament. Government ministers, whenever they go overseas, must be accountable for their sepndings.
“We just want the PM to be answerable. We just want the PM to clarify whether he went there as part of the programme or to see his future son-in-law and family,” he told FMT.
“What was his programme like? Was public funds used?” he asked.
Yesterday, Dzulkefly had questioned the use of public funds to pay for Najib’s and his official entourage to Kazakhstan.
The PAS MP said it was morally wrong though not procedurally problematic.
He had said that Najib cannot justify how his visit coincided with his daughter Nooryana Najwa’s wedding as the fact remained that the PM misused his station for personal reasons.
According to Dzulkefly, Najib should have taken leave and gone there on his own time and expense.
It was reported that Nooryana, 22, is set to marry Daniyar Nazarbayev, the son of a top Kazakhstan official. Daniyar reportedly met and fell in love with Nooryana when she was a student at Georgetown University.
Najib’s first official visit to Kazakhstan as Malaysian Prime Minister from June 5-6 was at the invitation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He is also attending the WIEF in Astana from June 7-9.
He is accompanied by several Cabinet ministers and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, relevant ministries and agencies.
According to Bernama, Najib’s official visit and his participation at WIEF would reinforce close political ties besides paving the way for more substantive cooperation between Malaysia and Kazakhstan for mutual benefit as well as to explore economic opportunities and collaboration with participating countries.
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