PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli has claimed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's visit to the White House is not an official visit.
The Pandan lawmaker based his argument on the absence of certain protocolssuch as the lack of an official welcoming ceremony held upon the prime minister's arrival.
"They must be received in an official manner known as the 'flight line ceremony'... This is diplomatic protocol," he told a Facebook Live session today.
Citing information from "reliable sources", Rafizi claimed Najib would not even participate in a joint press conference with United States President Donald Trump after their meeting.
Putting up at Trump's hotel
He also alleged Najib would not be staying in US government accommodations for visiting dignitaries and would instead be residing at the Trump International Hotel.
"He (Najib) is the one that is visiting, but Trump is the one getting money (from the hotel stay)," he said on a sarcastic note.
Malaysiakini cannot independently verify Rafizi's allegations and has contacted the Prime Minister's Office for comment.
However, what is certain is that the White House confirmed that an invitation was extended to Najib much to the disdain of several influential US media organisations and the prime minister's political rivals back home.
Rafizi said he felt compelled to point out the status of Najib's visit due to attempts by BN propagandists to paint the meeting with Trump in a positive light.
Najib himself told a meeting with Malaysians in Washinton DC yesterday that the White House invitation was an acknowledgement of Malaysia being a "rising star" and disproved critics who claim the nation had become a failed state.
However, Rafizi suspected that the meeting had much to do with allegations that there were efforts to lobby the White House to view Putrajaya in a favourable light.
"This is not an official visit. It does not involve proper treatment and protocol. This happened four months after a large sum was paid to Trump's former campaigner," he said.
In May, Rafizi said the US Department of Justice (DOJ) records showed that a lobbyist Healy Baumgardner-Nardone was paid a fee of US$250,000 (RM1.125 million) to act on behalf of Putrajaya.
Baumgardner-Nardone was once part of Trump's presidential campaign team. Putrajaya has denied the allegation.
Rafizi, citing sources, also claimed that Najib and Trump's meeting at the White House was only scheduled for 30 minutes and that another meeting was scheduled at the Trump International Hotel.
Malaysiakini is unable to confirm this. -Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.