Yoursay: Najib's arrogance led to his undoing

YOURSAY | So out of touch with the masses, that's why he lost massively…

'Traumatised' Najib expected to lose seats, but didn't see BN calamity coming

Newday: Ex-MO1, you have become like a vinyl record that becomes stuck on a scratch. You are still stuck on scurrilous accusations by the former opposition in Pakatan Harapan when there is nothing scurrilous in the expose about 1MDB.

Proclaiming to Reuters that you knew nothing is not an escape clause from your liability in this matter. It was under your watch in charge of Finance Ministry that this happened.

It is now clear that the 1MDB board were kept in the dark over many things. You made no attempt to clarify all these issues at the time.

You sacked anyone in your own party who questioned about 1MDB, you muzzled debate in Parliament, you locked up documents under the OSA (Official Secrets Act).

Yet you now claim you knew nothing. Do you know how illogical and ridiculous that is? You claim that you really were not aware of the source of funds pumping through your personal bank account - that you took the word of Saudis.

If it was my bank account, I am pretty certain I would know beforehand about such a huge amount of money turning up. So, you hand your bank account details out to all and sundry to do what they will with your bank account?

You don't know anything about your wife’s jewellery? What sort of husband are you? You still insist that RM114 million in 26 different currencies are Umno war chest.

You have convinced yourself that the lies spun by you are now the truth because you have stated these lies so much. What sort of leader were you if you repeatedly were ignorant of everything under your watch?

Shovelnose: Goodness, Najib is still letting his speechwriter prop his grandiose place under the sun. So out of touch with the masses, that's why he lost massively despite having every machinery and stolen money at his disposal.

Giving credit where it's due, Dr Mahathir Mohamad was a significant factor in Harapan's win, but anyone who does not beat with one heart with the nation's aspiration and expectation will not achieve the same kind of result, ever.

Najib, you can lament, moan and mope all you want, the fact is that your greed brought this on yourself.

Ace: Najib was so very confident because in his (and his party's) mind, he had layers and layers of "protection-cum-insurance" - redelineation to his advantage, totally controlled media, compliant civil servants, support of many "famous personalities", Anti-Fake News law to conveniently use if the opposition leaders looked too strong, the totally biased actions and protection of the Election Commission (EC), backing of the courts, and if all else fails, declare Emergency.

However, he underestimated the resilience of the people and the extent of his stinky name. It was also most insulting that he was using the rakyat's money to try to bribe the rakyat.

In any event, it was a miracle that the Malaysian citizens overcame all odds to kick his band out.

Anonymous 1890491455255851: Didn’t lose to a superior agenda? How about losing to the agenda of a cleaner, more transparent government, of independent legislative bodies, of politics not based on using race and religion to create fear, on a government that doesn’t support Umno/BN-linked individuals make easy money from contracts for doing absolutely nothing.

And the list goes on... Perhaps Najib doesn’t see these values as critical to building a successful nation.

Anonymous 7478653098613829: I skimmed through the four reports on the Reuters interview with Najib so as not to waste my time. I know there is nothing intellectual or worthwhile in what Najib had to say in the interview.

Instead of giving valuable opinions, insights and thoughts as a former prime minister, he was busy trying to deny every scandal and misuse of power that happened. What a waste of an interview.

On the other hand, Mahathir is respected for his knowledge and intellect when giving interviews. Just look at the respect that the Japanese hotel staff gave during his recent trip to Japan. So, it is pathetic to see Najib trying to give excuses and feign ignorance on grave issues raised during the interview.

Most Malaysians know what happened based on news they read from the internet and social media. They can form their own opinions which, in this case, was expressed solidly during the GE14.

It does not matter if Najib gave the excuse that there are scurrilous allegations against him. Malaysians were fed up enough to dump him and his BN colleagues totally. The election result reflects the total disgust of the people on how he and his BN team ran this country to the ground.

Najib destroyed Malaysia and Umno. That is the legacy of Najib that Malaysia will remember and it is already etched in history. Najib, the sixth PM of Malaysia, is known to the world as a kleptocrat and the one person who brought about the downfall of Umno.

Abasir: Merely traumatised, Najib? You should have experienced a cardiac episode if you had realised what's in store for you and your gang. But then having foresight has never been your strong suit.

If you had that together with a working moral compass, you would have stayed away from all that you did - from Scorpene to Altantuya to 1MDB.

Now with the revelations of the Panama papers, it appears that your traits are shared by your siblings and children.

The Wakandan: The thinking among Umno leadership/members was that 'Umno' was the magic word. Najib could gun anyone down and would still get elected because he was from Umno.

They probably knew some Malays were changing allegiance but when they use the three 'R's (race, religion and royalty) strategy in desperation, they thought they could still have a chance. Never mind the Chinese and the Indians, the Malays had the numbers.

What they probably could not fathom was that their action was so despicable that the Malays themselves could not stand it anymore.

Your average Malays, God-fearing they were, saw the scandals which were against their good sense and against their God, eventually said enough is enough to Umno.

I don't think Najib is in denial mode. He is smart enough to know the end is near. He is backed into a corner, he is doing some defensive work in anticipation of the mother of all trial that is to come.

It was a calculated interview and perhaps he thinks he could get away with some. It is all play. He is on stage now and is playing a role. -Mkini