Blogger: PM Najib should quit if he fears stepping out of Malaysia

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should quit before he is reduced to merely spending his days commuting between Pekan, Jalan Duta, and Putrajaya, said the Umno blogger Shahbudin Husin.

He echoed Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement that due to law enforcement authorities opening investigations into the 1MDB scandal, Najib may not dare to step outside of Malaysia.

“If getting arrested is certainly embarrassing, lack of courage to travel overseas is not that different.

“What good is a prime minister of an independent country if his commute is only between (Najib’s constituency) Pekan, his private residence in Jalan Duta, and Putrajaya only,” he wrote in his blog today.

Jalan Duta has been renamed Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim since late last year, as part of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s move to rename eight major roads in the city, after the names of the current and former Yang Dipertuan Agong.

Mahathir (photo) had reportedly said in a speech on Friday that although Najib may be able to evade investigations on 1MDB in Malaysia, he may not be able to do so abroad.

“Laws abroad are now different from before. If a crime takes place here, the laws here apply.

“But if (the crime) involves other countries, the other countries have the power (to take action)," he said.

“Right now, in Switzerland, UK, US... (there is already a money laundering probe). They have a right to issue a summons for the Interpol to arrest him (if cause is established).

“If he leaves the country, he may be arrested,” he said, while cautioning that he is merely speculating on possibilities.

Najib and 1MDB have denied wrongdoing in the scandal.

Meanwhile, Shahbudin said that although Malaysia may recover from the ringgit’s slump in the foreign exchange market, the only cure to the country’s slump in morale is for Najib to resign.

He claimed that not only that the people who have been calling for Najib’s resignation would rejoice, the majority of Umno leaders would also feel relieved by such a move.

“Since independence and after six prime ministers, no predecessor has brought such shame to the country […]

“By quitting, not only can the national morale be repaired by a new leader, it also makes it easier for Umno to repair its image,” he said. -Mkini