'Thick-skinned Najib should read his Facebook comments'

When it comes to Najib Abdul Razak’s survival as prime minister, one of his fiercest critics, Khairuddin Abu Hassan, unsurprisingly believes that Najib’s days are numbered.

Citing his experience as a former Umno division vice-chief who was very much involved with matters on the ground, Khairuddin claimed that the current sentiments against Najib are very negative indeed.

“I think Najib is over-confident. He has overlooked how he has been surrounded by apple polishers - the donkeys that are destroying him.

“I call those leaders donkeys because when you mislead the top leaders, that means you are not sincere, you don’t love your party and the party president, and you don’t love your country,” Khairuddin said in an interview with Malaysiakini.

When argued to him that Najib was clearly staying put as prime minister, regardless of the situation, Khairuddin suggested that Najib should read the comments posted on his own Facebook page.

“By nature, he’s thick-skinned. (Someone should) please tell Najib to open his Facebook page, just get him to read all the comments.

“Of the remarks he receives everyday, almost all are negative. As a sound leader, if his sanity is high, I think he can gauge his popularity now.

“I think something is wrong with Najib somewhere. If he is not aware of the rakyat’s response towards him now, something is wrong with Najib,” Khairuddin said, without mincing his words.

‘I remain loyal to Umno’

Although he appeared very set on seeing Najib replaced as prime minister, Khairuddin is, however, not willing to work with the opposition to do so.

“I am still an Umno member, although I have been stripped of my portfolio. I will remain loyal to Umno.

“I strongly believe in Umno and the Barisan Nasional. The blood that runs through me is that of Umno,” he said.

And that was what prompted him to lodge numerous reports against Najib’s brainchild 1MDB - all because he wants to save Umno and BN.

As long as Najib is no longer the prime minister, BN can survive the next general election, Khairuddin believes.

And Najib will finally be broken when the numerous questions posed to him with regard to the 1MDB imbroglio and the RM2.6 billion "donation" remain unanswered, he said.

“These will weaken him. When the truth prevails and it goes to the public at large, it will weaken his position, bit by bit,” he said.

Even former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim - who Khairuddin believes was stronger than Najib - still did not manage to hold on to his deputy prime ministership.

Tengku Razaleigh a potential candidate

As for the potential candidates to replace Najib, Khairuddin expressed admiration for Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as well as former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former minister Shafie Apdal.

These leaders, he said, are people who dare to stand up to speak the truth.

“I have high regards and respect for these kinds of characters,” he said, adding that they were more than qualified to take over Najib.

However, he prefers an aged personality to take over the next prime minister, again citing Tengku Razaleigh and Muhyiddin.

“Especially Tengku Razaleigh. I don’t think he has any vested interests and he is quite clean; a non-controversial figure.

“We need a wise man like that to take the lead, a man who will put the nation and the party first,” he said.

Khairuddin, who was recently released after a two-month imprisonment, plans to conduct a nationwide tour to meet with the people in order to explain why he made the bold move to lodge reports against 1MDB overseas.

He intends to go on the tour alone, for he does not want to “implicate other parties” and is simply more comfortable moving solo.

And thank God, Khairuddin said, he has yet to receive any death threats ever since he made the decision to embark on a fight against 1MDB.

“All those things are peanuts. If I’m fated to kick the bucket in that manner, I will accept that as my sacrifice to the nation,” he said. -Mkini