Najib not half as bad as Dr M is making him out to be

Salleh Keruak defends some of the PM’s actions from his acquisition of a new private jet to 1MDB and Jho Low.

PETALING JAYA: In a reaction to the scathing criticisms levelled at Najib Razak by the country’s former premier today, Salleh Said Keruak came to the defence of the prime minister saying the acquisition of the new private jet was justified and that 1MDB was still in its infancy and needed time to prove itself.

On the issue of the new private jet that the PM acquired and which Mahathir Mohamad criticised him for, Salleh, who is the Sabah State Assembly Speaker, argued that the aircraft was purchased for security reasons since the Special Branch had already warned of a possible attack by the Islamic State terror group.

“If this is true then the security of the Prime Minister and DYMM the Agong cannot be taken lightly – hence the need for suitable and efficient transportation for both the Prime Minister and the Agong,” Salleh said, adding that security couldn’t only be considered in terms of money.

He compared the situation with the United States and the United Kingdom saying that billions was spent on the security of its heads of state because it was an important issue that their governments did not take lightly.

“The point I am making is that security is not cheap and security here includes proper transportation for the heads of state such as the Prime Minister and Agong,” Salleh said.

He also dwelt at length on the controversial 1Malaysia Development Berhad, likening it to Temasek Holdings of Singapore which only chalked up RM600 billion in its total portfolio after having battled 40 years in the business.

Arguing that 1MDB had just started and needed time to prove its viability, Salleh added, “Investments are not meant for quick profit. They are meant for the long term so that the next generation will have something to look at after the oil has run dry. And this, too, is what oil-rich countries in the Middle East are doing.”

He also touched on the criticism of the alleged involvement of businessmen Jho Low in 1MDB and said that Mahathir too had surrounded himself with friends like Ananda Krishnan in the case of Petronas and Daim Zainuddin who was made Finance Minister.

“When asked about this Dr Mahathir gave a classic reply. He said of course he would appoint his friends who he can trust. Who would appoint their enemies?”