Anina Saadudin speaking to Malay Mail Online, September 23, 2015. — Picture by Saw Siow FengKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — When Anina Saadudin first entered the media spotlight, she was seen on video furiously taking apart her former boss, Umno president and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with harsh, even crude words and hateful accusations.
Among others, Anina was famously heard accusing Najib of “urinating” on party members and lying to them over the RM2.6 billion donation controversy, even saying that he should “go for treatment”.
Despite receiving admonishment from party bigwigs for her outburst, Anina, then just a little-known Umno grassroots leader in the three million-strong ruling party, refused to back down.
She raised eyebrows further on August 28 when she moved to haul Najib to court with a lawsuit that she filed to recover on behalf of Umno a US$650 million portion of the US$681 million (RM2.6 billion) donation that was reportedly found stashed in the prime minister’s private accounts.
The funds, according to recent revelations, was being kept by the Umno president on behalf of the party and had come from generous Arab donors.
So who is Anina and why did she sue Najib?
By her own accounts, Anina is just an “ordinary” Malaysian and Umno member with deep concerns about the state of things in her beloved party and more significantly, in Malaysia.
“I’m just a grassroots member and that is the beauty of this. And yet I have the courage to do all this, in fact the leaders must do this,” the mother of three told Malay Mail Online in an interview earlier this week.
She said her division leader in Langkawi Umno, the federal lawmaker for the seat and the state assemblyman should be the ones speaking up as she voted for them all.
“But they didn’t do it. I’m a simple Malaysian, a grassroot member of Umno, I must take this responsibility to do this, because my grassroots leaders did not perform their roles.
“I voted for them but they didn’t play their roles, it is so regretful, it is a shameful thing to me – you are a leader and yet you have no balls to speak the truth about the top leader,” the Alor Star-born native said.
Anina said her outburst during the Umno divisional meet had been unplanned but was not a spontaneous act either as it was the result of a long-brewing sense of disillusionment she had been feeling towards Najib’s leadership.
Her dissatisfaction and anger, which she has openly expressed on Facebook over the past two years, came to a boil when the controversy over the RM2.6 billion donation emerged in the media.
“I’m not angry at him (Najib) as a person, but in terms of leadership. Nothing got to do with personal,” said the Umno member of 22 years, whose late mother herself was a Langkawi Umno Wanita chief.
Although Anina made the headlines with her crude outburst and lawsuit against Najib, she insisted that media fame had never been her goal.
She told Malay Mail Online that she never wanted to be a hero, and that she does not want to take any credit for daring to challenge the country’s most powerful leader.
“It is not about me, it is not an individual fight. I’m not Anina for myself. I’m Malaysian, I’m everybody, I cannot claim this as a personal fight against the prime minister,” she said, insisting again that she is a “nobody” without the support of the Malaysian population of over 30 million.
Anina also insisted that her new-found popularity has not changed her although she is happy to have the support of many Malaysians, some of whom she said would stop to snap “selfies” with her or to advise her to keep safe.
In fact, during this interview which was conducted in a restaurant here, a woman, recognising Anina, walked up to her to shake her hands and urge her not to give up.
Anina also claims she has the support of many Umno members which she said goes to show that Najib does not have the backing of all three million party members.
She confirmed that she has not received any death threats and that she believes she is safe in her own country.
“This is my country, this is my heart, all other people surrounding me are all my friends and family, you are my family because we are Malaysians, why must I be afraid to speak the truth in my own home?” the marketing lecturer and PhD candidate said.
She acknowledged that she faces a long and difficult court battle ahead but said she is well-prepared for the journey.
“I’m well-prepared because I’m doing the right thing. If you fight for the truth, you won’t be tired, you won’t be afraid, you won’t give up, because I’m doing the right thing.”
Anina was sacked from Umno several days after filing her August 28 lawsuit against Najib.
On Monday, Najib filed to strike out Anina’s lawsuit, which has yet to be heard and will go through case management before Kuala Lumpur High Court judicial commissioner Datuk Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab on October 26.
Anina also filed a separate lawsuit on September 11 against Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and party executive secretary Datuk Ab Rauf Yusoh in a bid to declare the termination of her party membership invalid.
-malaymail
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