MP SPEAKS | The Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said yesterday that his comment to the United States President Donald Trump on wanting to help strengthen the US economy had been "misconstrued" to “confuse the rakyat.”
Najib clarified: “I said that I was there to strengthen the economy which did not mean that we will contribute to the US economy without receiving anything from its economy.
“I meant that we were not there to ask for alms but that we were there as a successful country which has the potential to be a significant global player.”
This caused me to go back to the transcript of the exchange between Najib and Trump at the beginning of Najib’s visit to the White House on Sept 12.
According to the transcript, Najib did not mention a single word about expecting the US to contribute to the Malaysian economy, or that Malaysia was not asking for alms, as Malaysia was a successful country with the potential to be a significant global player.
Were these remarks omitted from the transcript released by the White House itself?
In that case, is the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) going to issue another transcript of what Najib said at the White House in his meeting with President Trump to prove that he had been “misconstrued”?
In the absence of a second transcript and a second video of the Najib-Trump exchange at the start of Najib’s visit to the White House on Sept 12, we can only go by the transcript and 5-minute 58-second video released by the White House.
Can Najib enumerate how his remarks at the White House at the opening of his meeting with President Trump had been misconstrued?
In the absence of an alternative transcript and video, what Najib said at the White House was crystal clear – that he was making his US visit “to help you (US President Trump) in terms of strengthening the US economy” with three “value propositions.”
Like a well-performing child, Trump in his cocky self with arms folded, rewarded Najib with words of approbation of “great”, “great” and “right” when Najib outlined the three “value propositions” to strengthen the US economy – and nothing more!
There was no mention that Malaysia expected the US to contribute to the Malaysian economy as quid pro quo, nor that Malaysia was not asking for alms.
Just as the transcript shows no mention of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) kleptocratic litigation to forfeit US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets, the reference of Najib as “MO1,” or the suggestion to Trump to drop the suit and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal investigation into the 1MDB scandal.
If there is another transcript, Najib should direct the PMO to release the second transcript, or he should state clearly how his White House statement had been misconstrued.
LIM KIT SIANG is the DAP parliamentary leader and Gelang Patah MP.- Mkini
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