'PARIAH' NAJIB SPEAKS TO EMPTY HALL AT U.N. : Pic goes viral but supporters say it's FAKE

KUALA LUMPUR - In New York for the United Nations General Assembly, scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak is again at the center of controversy.

A picture of the Malaysian leader addressing an almost empty hall has gone viral, although supporters of the prime minister claim it is fake.

Critics of the PM rushed to beef up their calls for him to resign, calling him an outcast in the mold of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and claiming that he was disgracing Malaysia with his murder and corruption scandals.

Indeed, the Malaysian economy has been rocked and its currency, the Ringgit, at 17-year-lows on news Najib was under investigation by multi-international agencies and might resort to stirring up racial riots to destabilize the country and cling to power with emergency rule.

The latest slap in the face for Najib came from the Chinese envoy to Malaysia, who made unprecedented remarks that Beijing was opposed to racism and violence. The statement from Dr Huang Huikang came as Najib drummed up anti-Chinese sentiment among the Malays - the predominant electorate - by giving the tacit nod to groups linked to his Umno party to threaten mass rallies at Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown.

Chinese-bashing to get Obama to suppress a U.S. Justice department probe on Najib and 1MDB?

Many believe Najib was try to draw attention away from his corruption woes with race championing tactics.

The U.S. Justice Department has begun a 'kleptocracy' investigation against Najib which may result in his being called to trial there, as well as jail time for his step son Riza Aziz and close friend Jho Low, who have raised eyebrows by splurging vast sums on luxury American properties.

Some believe the Chinese bashing was also give a hint to U.S. President Barack Obama that he was willing to side with Washington in security issues involving South China Sea and the Southeast Asian region as a whole, so long as U.S. authorities 'closed an eye' on his scandals and allowed him to stay on as PM.

Obama, who also wants Najib to ink his brainchild trade agreement TPPA, has previously praised Najib. It remains to be seen if the U.S. president will ignore mounting evidence of Najib's grand-scale 'kleptocracy' to push through his own agenda.

Apart from the U.S., the Swiss, UK and Singapore authorities are also investigation Najib's and the role of his 1MDB fund in money-laundering and corruption activities amounting to billions of dollars.

Fake?

Meanwhile, TV Al-Hijrah journalist Finaz Yunus who is in New York to cover the assembly, clarified on Facebook that Najib was only scheduled to speak today, reported the Rakyat Post.

“Therefore the picture that was shared is fake.

“But what can we do, people will come up with their own judgement and just share the picture.

“We should prioritise facts,” she wrote.

China's envoy to Malaysia and his wife at what is perceived to be a watershed visit to Petaling Street, ahead of a rally by pro-Najib groups who openly warned of rioting against the Malaysian Chinese, who form the second largest racial group in the country of some 30 million population.

The picture of Najib appears to have been broadcast by a local television station, based on the logo appearing on the picture.

The Malaysian PM is scheduled to attend a few high level meetings before speaking at the U.N. headquarters today. - Malaysia Chronicle