Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull should avoid meeting Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak at the Asean-Australia Special Summit in Sydney this weekend, Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
In an interview with Australia’s ABC News, Mahathir said Najib often took the opportunity to be photographed with global leaders and advised Turnbull against helping to boost his counterpart’s image.
“He’s been trying to do that all the time. Having photo opportunities and all that.
“Because he wants to show Malaysians that he is well accepted,” said Mahathir when asked whether he had concerns that Najib’s meeting with Turnbull would enhance his credentials on the world stage.
“But if you know a man is a thief, he (Turnbull) should stay away from him (Najib),” said Mahathir, who insisted that Najib must be removed as prime minister over his alleged involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
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In contrast, Mahathir reportedly told The Australian last week that Turnbull should “definitely” raise the 1MDB scandal with Najib at the summit.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing linked to 1MDB and attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had also cleared him of all related offences.
Turnbull’s son, Alex Turnbull, had previously claimed that he was a victim of the 1MDB scandal, after being allegedly sidelined when he blew the whistle on purported misconduct within Goldman Sachs in Singapore over its dealings with 1MDB.
However, Goldman Sachs denied Alex’s claims and said that he was never involved in any 1MDB-related transactions.
In the interview, Mahathir was also asked whether he had changed his previous “dismissive” stance towards Australia’s attempts to join Asean.
In response, Mahathir said the focus should instead be on Asean’s relationship with Australia.
According to Wisma Putra, Najib is scheduled to undertake a working visit to Sydney this weekend, accompanied by his wife Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman, as well as various other government officers.
MEANWHILE, according to The Malaysian Insight:
FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said Najib Razak is intent on remaining in power to enrich himself while destroying the country, and will employ cheating tactics to ensure victory in the next general election, the ABC reported.
In an interview with the Australian media agency, Dr Mahathir said that was the reason for his decision to stand as Pakatan Harapan’s prime minister candidate against Najib, who he said is seen as a “monster” in the eyes of most Malaysians.
“It is very much about getting rid of Najib. He’s a monster in the view of most people in Malaysia,” Dr Mahathir said.
“They think that he is just about enriching himself, having a good life and at the same time using money to buy support, or promoting corruption on a huge scale, stealing government money by the billions of dollars.
“This is not something that we want to see.”
Dr Mahathir, who led the country for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, said he believed that PH enjoys the support of most Malaysians, but that Najib would “cheat to the maximum” to win in the general election, which must be held by August.
“We are very strong, we think we can win but what I do think is that he will cheat to the maximum,” he told the ABC.
“If we lose it is due to cheating, fraud and things like that.”
Dr Mahathir said his reconciliation with his former protégé-turned political nemesis-turned ally Anwar Ibrahim was necessary to try and topple Najib’s administration.
“Anwar and me of course have differences, but the problem facing the country is so big today that we have to relegate all our past experiences to the background and focus on trying to rescue or to rehabilitate this country from this administration, which is going to totally destroy this country,” he said.
Dr Mahathir resigned from Umno in February 2016 after becoming increasingly critical of Najib’s leadership in the wake of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal, which is currently the subject of international investigations into allegations that billions of dollars were siphoned off by several individuals linked to the state investment firm.
Najib, who had set up 1MDB, has denied any role in the controversy.
Najib is set to meet Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the sidelines of this weekend’s special Asean Summit, where Australian officials have confirmed that the 1MDB scandal is unlikely to be discussed.
In the interview with ABC, Dr Mahathir said he believed Najib would be using his meeting with Turnbull to advance his own credentials.
“He’s been trying to all the time, having photo opportunities and all that because he wants to show Malaysians that he is well-accepted,” he said.
“But I think when you know a man is a thief you should stay away from him.”
Dr Mahathir said he believed that Umno, the party he has been a part of for 60 years, was no longer the same party he once loved.
“It is just there in order to support the existing president to remain as the prime minister of this country,” he said.
“His party now is supporting an authoritarian government… the party has already been destroyed by him,” he told the ABC
— M’kini / https://www.themalaysianinsight.com
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