SEBERANG PERAI, May 6 — On the stump for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Penang today, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin said those in leadership positions must be aware of their limitations and be willing to change.
The 80-year-old who is known to be a loyalist of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told PH supporters during a breakfast event in De Pauh Garden here that many Umno leaders had written to him pleading for a ministerial position.
He then claimed that among those whose careers he had helped boost was current Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is now caretaker prime minister.
“I am the one who gave him the minister position. He used to write letters to me pleading for a minister position,” Daim said in his speech, adding that he knows “more stories” about Najib than Dr Mahathir.
Daim was later asked if he regretted supporting Najib to be a minister.
After a few seconds pause, he replied: “People change, we can always change for the better, we all have limitations… we must recognise our limitations.”
He added that Najib must admit when he makes a mistake and the people will accept it.
“Looking back, he could have done much better for the country and himself,” he said.
He said a leader must always think of the people because they are elected by the people and they are responsible for the people.
“In the end, the people will judge you… in the end, the whole world will not think nicely of you,” he said.
Yesterday, Daim was sacked from Umno, the party he had represented in Parliament for over 20 years.
He told the breakfast gathering that an “illegal party” can’t sack him because it is a “secret society.”
“They sacked me, Alhamdullilah, the party is an illegal party and I don’t want to be part of a secret society,” he said.
When asked why he was “so brave” to take on Najib, he admitted jokingly that he is afraid of Najib who he says is bigger than him.
At a press conference later, when asked to clarify if he really was afraid of Najib, Daim said there was nothing to fear.
“As a Muslim, I am only afraid of Allah. There is nothing to fear if you are on the right track, you’ve done nothing wrong,” he said.
Daim has been travelling the country and lending his support to PH’s cause. He will also be one of the main speakers at two mega ceramahs in Penang tomorrow night.
– Malay Mail
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