Najib Razak will never recover from Trust Deficit

by Nawar Firdaws

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

PM Najib Razak may never regain public trust, says Asia’s top debater

Even if Prime Minister Najib Razak is one day cleared of all allegations of corruption, the people will never trust the findings since all the investigations were conducted while he was still running the country.

Asia’s top debater Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the trust deficit in Najib’s administration was at an all-time high following the perceived interference in the investigations over debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and the contentious RM2.6 billion donation Najib that entered his personal accounts in 2013.

Speaking to FMT in an exclusive interview, the 23-year-old said the consensus among a huge majority of the youth today was that the top administrators, specifically Najib, were not fit to lead the country out of the hot water it was currently in.

“Look at what we’ve been through for the past few years. The fact that we are still stuck in this rut is indicative that we will be here for the next few years unless something is done immediately.Najib has been given plenty of chances to make things right but he did not take them. Now, even if Bank Negara (Malaysia) or MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) come out and clear Najib of all the wrongdoings he has been accused of, no one will believe it.”

Syed was of the opinion that if Najib really loved the country, he would have been able to differentiate between right and wrong, as well as what the public wanted of him. He said it was time Najib started listening to the pleas of his people rather than his paid advisors and focus on the interests of the nation, not his own.

“I was in Greece recently for the biggest debate tournament in the world and every time I met up with my friends from Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge, they’ll be like, ‘Hey , I saw your country on the front page of my newspaper.’

“I remember back when I would be proud every time people read about my country. They talked about us being the Asian tiger, the economic powerhouse, out competing Singapore. Now you only hear about 1MDB and corruption. The Malaysian identity and beauty have been tarred with negativity. As a Malaysian, I think something must be done, now.”