NO NEED FOR PM TO QUIT, JUST DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT, MAT SABU SAYS

(Malay Mail Online) – PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu today agreed with his president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang that Datuk Seri Najib Razak should not resign as prime minister, but said he should dissolve Parliament instead to seek a fresh mandate.

This is because resigning would only mean that the prime minister is “running away” from the problems confronting his leadership when he should be held accountable for them, the PAS leader told Malay Mail Online.

“I agree with Hadi, he (Najib) shouldn’t run away from the problems. If he steps down, it is like running away from the problems that he is facing,” Mohamad Sabu, or popularly known as Mat Sabu, said.

Earlier today, Hadi was quoted by The Star Online as saying that Najib should remain in power as he was democratically elected and should be given a chance to finish his term as PM.

“He (Najib) should dissolve the Parliament, not look to step down,” Mat Sabu said.

He pointed out that Najib’s administration has been hit by many allegations, particularly those surrounding 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the state-owned investment firm now saddled with a RM42 billion debt.

The latest controversy involving 1MDB is the firm’s sale of land to Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH) about a month back for a fraction of what it paid for the same parcel four years ago.

“If you look at 1MDB and the LTH problems, those came about from Najib’s time and he should be responsible for it. If he is going to resign, what is going to happen to these problems?”

The Islamist party leader also took a swipe at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), claiming it was not likely that the agency would look into the allegations against Najib should he agree to resign.

“MACC here is not reliable like the commissions in other countries like South Korea. After Najib steps down, he won’t be investigated for the allegations he was involved in. He would be able to walk away from it and not be held responsible,” he added.

Over the past few months, Najib has come under fire from vitriolic attacks by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as well as the opposition bloc who have repeatedly called for Najib’s resignation.

Last night, however, Najib sought to silence demands for his resignation and after meeting with Umno’s top leaders, claimed that the party’s entire supreme council has thrown its support behind him and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.