Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today calls for the prime minister to answer allegations made against Datuk Seri Najib Razak by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. – The Malaysian Insider filepic, April 2, 2015.It is high time Datuk Seri Najib Razak answers the various allegations against him, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today, after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad delivered his harshest criticism yet against the prime minister.
The Umno veteran, better known as Ku Li and is Malaysia's longest-serving lawmaker, said that Najib would find it difficult to get support if there were unresolved issues plaguing his leadership.
"It is high time that real answers are given, that the truth comes out of these things," he said to reporters at the Parliament lobby today.
"It is going to be very difficult for anyone to get support if there are still unresolved issues."
On his blog today, Dr Mahathir said Malaysians do not trust Najib and predicted that Barisan Nasional (BN) woud lose the next polls if he were to remain in power.
In the lengthy post, the statesman listed down various allegations made against Najib and wrote that none of them had been adequately answered.
These included the murder of Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu and the claims by one of her convicted murderers, former commando Sirul Azhar Umar, who had been one of Najib's bodyguards.
He also delved into the problems surrounding Finance Ministry-owned 1Malaysia Development Bhd, questioned the source of funds for Najib's stepson Riza Aziz to purchase luxury properties in New York through businessman Low Taek Jho, and called the government's recent purchase of a new private jet for Najib a "waste".
Tengku Razaleigh or Ku Li, as he is fondly known, said that the former prime minister was looking for answers to the allegations he had listed in his blog post.
"He (Dr Mahathir) wants to know the truth behind this. I am sure he must have his reasons for saying that.
"He is an old hand, he knows the ground quite well. He knows how things are run in political organisations in the run-up to the 14th General Election," the Gua Musang MP said.
Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years, had withdrawn his support for Najib last year over policy differences and had said the prime minister should resign.
He has been severely critical of Najib and has spoken out against 1MDB and other issues related to Najib numerous times.
Taking a similar stand, Ku Li had also criticised Najib's administration when debating the royal address in Parliament last month.
He had urged his peers in the Dewan Rakyat to decide whether they would remember their pledge to serve the people, or give up their powers to forces outside of the Parliament by putting party interests first.
He also pressed ministers and MPs to declare their assets to avoid conflict of interest and promote good governance, and criticised the goods and services tax (GST) that began yesterday.
However, analysts later dismissed the former finance minister's criticism against Najib, saying that his words were "too little, too late”, and pointed out that he was echoing Pakatan Rakyat MPs who had already raised those issues, to little success.
- TMI
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