Called ‘kurang ajar’ once, Nazri won’t attack Dr M again

Minister Nazri Aziz says Umno vilified him for defending Pak Lah and so this time around, he will let Umno defend Najib Razak against Mahathir Mohamad.

PETALING JAYA: After being called “kurang ajar” (disrespectful) for defending former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from being ousted by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Nazri Aziz said he would hold his tongue this time even as Najib Razak was being pressured to resign by the same man.

“I was vilified and scolded by Umno because they said I was ‘kurang ajar’, I was disrespectful,” the minister of tourism and culture told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview.

“Back then, he (Mahathir) told us all when Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) was attacking him that on a ship, there is only one captain.

“So I was just following his advice. So I defended Pak Lah (Abdullah) as advised by Mahathir. What did I do wrong?”

Once bitten, twice shy, Nazri said he was now going to remain silent since all of Umno was doing battle with Mahathir, who had not let up in his efforts to unseat the current prime minister.

“I just watch from the sidelines. Because that is his free speech. I attacked him once, I was told to stop. When he criticises (now), I keep quiet because that is his free speech,” he told the news portal.

He however did concede that the former premier’s words carried weight and that people only sat up and took real notice of debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) after Mahathir starting speaking about it extensively.

“Certainly it added pressure because Mahathir was our PM for 22 years, so he has a firm credibility. But we can’t sit down and let him do this, we need to work harder,” Nazri said, cautioning however that not all the former leader said was the truth.

Nazri also called for an end to speculation about whether Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal wanted Najib to resign as well.

He referred to a leaked video clip in which Muhyiddin said all on the 1MDB board of directors should be sacked and investigated.

“That is his (Muhyiddin) opinion, this is the problem with you media, you impose on us politicians to stand up and be honest, so some of us stand up and you don’t agree,” he said, adding it was wrong to assume the DPM was against Najib.

“Muhyiddin is concerned, I am concerned, Shafie is concerned. We are different individuals, we have different styles,” he explained.

He also told the news portal that he would be retiring before the 14th general election.

“This is my last term as MP and minister, I will not contest in the next general election. I have been in politics for 40 years, and a minister since 1999. For me, that is enough.”