211 37 0 338 Why PM’s speech caused laughter

Kit Siang says Najib's address to Gerakan delegates showed how shallow he was.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak displayed his “shallowness” when he said Chinese voters rejected Barisan Nasional because they believed allegations that the government brought in phantom voters to ensure victory in the last general election, DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang said today.

In a press release commenting on Najib’s speech at the Gerakan conference this morning, Lim noted that the delegates laughed when the Prime Minister remarked that the opposition’s “spin” about 40,000 imported Bangladeshi voters was one of the reasons for the drop in Chinese votes for BN.

“It is shocking that the Prime Minister could believe and repeat the canard,” he said.

“It is to the credit of the Gerakan delegates that they laughed at Najib’s tall tale as it is not only unbelievable, but reflects a shallowness which does not befit a Prime Minister.”

He urged cabinet ministers from Gerakan and MCA to “disabuse Najib of the canard” and make him admit that BN lost 52% of the popular votes in the election because Malaysians in general had become disillusioned over a “whole spectrum” of government policies.

Referring to Najib’s frequent calls for moderation in his international speeches, Lim also urged the Chinese members of the cabinet to persuade Najib to be “consistent and committed to the cause of moderation in national policies” and that he should start with the prosecution of Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali for his threat to burn Bibles.

He also referred to Najib’s statement about the five areas of priority for Malaysia as a member of the United Nations Security Council, the first of which was “to advance moderation globally”.

“Malaysia cannot effectively or credibly advance moderation globally when moderation is in retreat domestically,” Lim said.

“Freedom of speech, expression of opinion have degenerated to a stage where moderation can be persecuted and prosecuted as sedition by Najib’s attorney-general.”

For the sake of Malaysia’s credibility as a member of the Security Council, he said, Najib “should add a sixth priority and elevate it as the second most important priority item for Malaysia – to advance moderation domestically as otherwise its campaign to advance moderation globally is dead even before it could get off the launching pad.”