Najib awed Muslim world, hence Arab donation, says delegate

UMNO AGM Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has done Malaysia proud in the eyes of the Muslim world, which is why the Arabs donated money to the prime minister, said an Umno delegate.

Federal Territories Umno delegate Rizuan Abd Hamid, who was debating the motion on religion and education at the Umno annual general assembly today, pointed out Malaysia is known in the eyes of the world as a leading promoter of the halal industry.

Citing relevant figures, he said the halal industry market is worth US$2.3 trillion and Malaysian products alone are expected to be worth US$41 billion this year.

The International Trade and Industry Ministry earlier this year announced exports of halal products from January to September last year totalled RM31.1 billion.

Thanking Najib for this, Rizuan said Malaysia's achievements in the area show how great the country is in the eyes of the world.

“Why? Because it is led by Najib as prime minister. Muslims around the world respect our prime minister.

“That’s why the Saudi prince gave money to Najib to be used in the elections. It was not for his own use,” he stressed.

He was likely referring to the RM2.6 billion that was exposed by The Wall Street Journal last year to have been deposited into Najib's personal accounts.

DOJ fingers 1MDB

Najib eventually claimed the funds were a donation from a member of the Arab royal family.

However, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in July announced a civil action suit seeking the recovery of over US$1 billion worth of assets and expenditures linked to a conspiracy to launder funds taken from Najib’s brainchild 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

Najib has come under attack from the opposition and civil society over allegations of corruption linked to the debt-laden 1MDB and deposits into his personal account worth around US$680 million.

The prime minister however has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintains that the source of the money was not 1MDB. He also said that the funds were not used for personal gain.

In clearing Najib earlier this year, attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali said the money was a gift from the Saudi royal family, and claimed most of it had subsequently been returned.- Mkini