Salleh : Najib can do no right

Salleh Said Keruak says that the PM is caught in a Catch-22 situation as he is criticised when he is quiet and pilloried when he replies

Political blogger Shahbudin Husin has said that Prime Minister Najib Razak is taking a misguided route “by (his) open show of defiance in the face of Tun Dr Mahathir’s campaign to oust him”, wrote Salleh Said Keruak in his blog post yesterday.

Shahbudin is of the opinion that Najib’s demeanour will only provoke the former premier to intensify his attacks.

“As everyone knows, Mahathir will never back off, will never surrender, will never abandon something he has started,” said Shahbudin, as quoted in Salleh’s blog.

“Does this mean Najib should not reply to Dr Mahathir and should just keep quiet instead?” asked Salleh, who is Sabah State Speaker.

Salleh said that when Najib, out of respect for Mahathir, did not retaliate, he was accused of ignoring the issue and not addressing the allegations.

“However, when the Prime Minister does reply as demanded, he is now accused of provoking Dr Mahathir and of prolonging the issue.”

Malaysians, he said, had to decide whether they wanted the Prime Minister to be vocal or not.

While Malaysians have a right to criticise, they must accept that the subjects of their criticisms have the right to reply.

“You cannot criticise the Prime Minister for keeping quiet and then when he replies you criticise him for replying,” said Salleh.

“This is not how things work in a democracy and a civil society,” he said.

“Rights work both ways.”