Dr M: Najib only a ‘gentleman’ if he steps down

The former Prime Minister says that he was not the only one asking Najib to step down and that millions of others were doing the same thing but only he was being investigated by the police for making the call.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, commenting on the just-concluded Umno General Assembly, declared in his latest blog posting that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak would only be considered a gentleman if he stepped down. “At the moment, he claims that he’s a gentleman, big-hearted, is not a coward, not afraid and will not retreat or surrender.”

“Then, he goes on to do the very opposite of being a gentleman.”

In his case, added Mahathir, the “gentleman” Najib has closed all avenues for him (Mahathir) to meet with Umno members, while owners of venues like hotels have been threatened and directed not to let him use their facilities for meetings. “His deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, will probably use his position as Home Minister to push the police to step up pressure on me.”

“Is this what being a gentleman is all about? Tying the hands of one’s critics so that they can be hammered to a pulp?”

Dr Mahathir does not understand why the police have singled him out for investigation when millions of other people are also demanding that Najib step down as Prime Minister and Umno President.

Returning to the Umno meet, Mahathir noted that nothing was said about the twin mega scandals viz. the RM2.6 billion political “donation” and the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal.

“Instead, no one was allowed to speak. Everyone was told to just keep quiet and follow orders. They are not supposed to ask any questions. If they are asked to come, they should come. If they are asked to go, they should go. It seems that it’s not necessary for them to know anything. The twin mega scandals are not sub judice as Najib claims. The issue is not in Court. There’s not even any investigation going on.”

“If Umno members go against Najib’s directives, they will face all sorts of problems including from the police, as in my case.”

Mahathir, in expressing disappointment with the Umno general assembly, said that many people don’t seem to understand that the issue in Umno was not the relations between the President and Deputy President.

“It’s not a question of shaking hands to repair the relationship. It’s a question of the party’s struggle. This was not mentioned during the general assembly.”

The issue was serious, he pointed out, and involved wrongdoing on the part of the party President and Prime Minister. “It can only result in the party and ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) losing in the general election.”

“It’s not written anywhere that the Prime Minister has immunity under the law.”

Mahathir went on to stress that the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) should come in and investigate the RM2.6 billion donation, whether taxes have been paid, and where the funds are now and why the balance has not been handed to Umno.

Elsewhere, Mahathir took issue with Najib’s management of the economy and charged that the Malay economy was going from bad to worse. “Many Malay contractors are bankrupt.”

“Najib saying that he will defend the Malay economy isn’t borne out by the facts on the ground. Najib has already abandoned the New Economic Policy (NEP).”

Besides the twin mega scandals, Mahathir felt that the President’s address should have touched on the rising cost of living, GST, education, and the issue of the medium of instruction in schools, among others.