Dr M and Harapan are a 'hard sell', says Najib

GE14 | Caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is confident that voters will not be taken in by Pakatan Harapan, nor its leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In an interview with US-based news outlet Bloomberg, Najib said he was confident of BN winning the 14th general election because Harapan consisted of a "motley collection" of former enemies.

"The confidence level in that kind of coalition between enemies over decades is something that (is a) hard sell actually.

"A 93-year-old man is a hard sell as well," he said.

When pointed out to Najib that he once enjoyed a good relationship with Mahathir, and asked how the ties between the two had soured, the caretaker PM said his former mentor was "obsessed" with control.

"I think I have studied the man. I think he is obsessed about control, about calling the shots.

"There is a gentleman rule so to speak. You don't see David Cameron or previous prime ministers in the UK telling Theresa May what to do.

"When I'm no longer in office, I would not want to impose on my successor.

"He was obsessed about control and wanted me to do his bidding. In my case, it was when I did not continue with his request. That was the turning point. After that he declared open war," he said.

However, Najib was coy when asked about his succession plan.

"It's part of your remit as a leader for you to groom your successor," he said. "We will be doing that."

"Currently, I think we are just concentrating on the next five years to ensure that our transformation plan will succeed." - Mkini