Najib is not a devil, Nurul tells Dr M

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is glad that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had likened her father Anwar Ibrahim to US President Barack Obama.

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PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is not a devil, said PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.

“I’m disappointed that Mahathir called Najib a devil… he is not,” she told a press conference today.

Nurul was responding to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement yesterday urging Malaysian voters to be cautious of handing over federal powers to Pakatan Rakyat in the next general election.

Mahathir had reportedly said that it was best for the people to urge Barisan Nasional to carry out whatever changes they wanted as Pakatan’s rule may bring disaster to the country.

“Better the devil you know than the angel you don’t…,” said Mahathir.

The former Umno strongman also likened Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to US president Barack Obama, whom he claimed was only good at making empty promises.

Nurul, who is also the Lembah Pantai MP, said that she was glad that Mahathir had compared Anwar to Obama.

“If Mahathir thinks that badly of Obama, I don’t know what he thinks of Mick Romney (Republican presidential candidate),” she said.

Also present was Subang MP R Sivarasa.

Sivarasa, however, was more vocal against Mahathir saying the former prime minister had little respect for democracy.

He also said that it was clear that Mahathir only wanted one party to retain power in Malaysia at all times.

“It’s a typical statement by an authoritarian dictator. It reflects his attitude towards power and his lack of respect for democracy,” he said.