A security personnel walks past a logo of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) ahead of its party's annual General Assembly at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur on November 24, 2014. The Malaysian Insider/Najjua Zulkefli
WHEN Najib Razak was questioned by the authorities and had residences linked to him raided, Umno leaders said it was political revenge by the new government.
But, when he was charged with corruption on Wednesday, only a handful of the party’s new Supreme Council members showed up to protest what they claimed was a politically motivated proceeding.
The reason for this? Many were away on holiday, said Supreme Council member Lokman Noor Adam, who has dedicated himself to burnishing the former prime minister’s tarnished image.
“After the party elections, many people decided to take a break and went on holiday. There was no way for them to return from overseas just to attend the unanticipated court proceeding,” Lokman told The Malaysian Insight.
However, senior Umno leaders had no problems attending a Supreme Council meeting later that day at the party’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
”(Najib being charged) was rushed through to divert attention from the real issue, which is Pakatan Harapan’s failure to make good on their (election) promises,” said Lokman.
He was responding to claims that Umno had largely abandoned Najib, as reflected in the small turnout at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, where he was charged with four counts of corruption related to money siphoned off from a government-linked firm.
Najib, 64, was charged with misusing his position as a government official to receive a RM42 million bribe as an inducement to provide a sovereign guarantee on behalf of the Malaysian government for a RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Inc to SRC International Sdn Bhd.
Aside from the chiefs of Umno’s three wings, namely Wanita, Youth and Puteri, only two Supreme Council members were seen at the court complex – Noh Omar and Lokman.
The most senior Umno leader present was vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Several Supreme Council members, however, visited Najib at his house in Jalan Langgak Duta in the evening after he was charged.
1MDB charges are ‘lies’
Lokman is an ex-PKR member who worked under Najib in the Finance Ministry as strategic communications director.
He does not for one moment believe any of the charges that his former boss is accused of.
“What is being done against Najib is wrong. I know that the things he has been accused of are not right, and that’s why my stand is to defend Najib.
“There are too many lies being directed at him.”
One of these “lies” is that Najib “stole” RM2.6 billion from state firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
“Even Umno people fell for this. When he was charged in court, it wasn’t about the RM2.6 billion,” said Lokman.
Najib’s charges involved SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, which he formed and whose advisory board he once headed.
Monitoring PH
Lokman now heads Pemantau Malaysia Baru, a group that aims to monitor the new PH government following the pact’s trouncing of Umno and the Barisan Nasional coalition, which he was part of, in the 14th general election.
Pemantau will publish a book reviewing PH’s 100 days in Putrajaya.
“No one monitors the current government, and they don’t walk the talk. They talk about good governance, rule of law. But, what they are doing now goes against the principles.
“There must be certain quarters who rebuke and monitor them from time to time, and every time they make mistakes, we will rebuke and record the mistakes.
“So, after 100 days, we will have some kind of book to show that they are liars.
“We can show clearly that BN is the better pact,” he said, adding that Pemantau is a BN-friendly civil society organisation.
He claims the group has 30,000 members, who joined Pemantau’s Telegram and Facebook.
On Friday, Pemantau and Civil and Human Rights Movement Malaysia lodged reports against Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Mohd Shukri Abdull for allegedly lying about the charges against Najib.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
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