Najib puzzled Malaysiakini puts his 'buttocks' in the spotlight

Najib Abdul Razak has expressed puzzlement with Malaysiakini following a news article which highlighted his posterior woes in the courtroom.

The former premier said his lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had spoken at length about the SRC International Sdn Bhd case this afternoon.

“Sometimes, I don't understand Malaysiakini... There were so many important issues (regarding the case) but Malaysiakini makes my "punggung" (buttocks) the main news.

“Previously, when I went to the washroom, Malaysiakini made it into a headline. When I held up my mobile phone camera (in the dock), this was also a headline in Malaysiakini,” he added.

The former premier said Shafee was merely expressing concern about his health, having to sit between four to 10 hours daily for a period of 58 days on the wooden bench in the dock.

“That is all. Why the need to turn it into the main headline? What about the more important issues raised by my lawyer, (is Malaysiakini) not reporting?” he asked in a Facebook post this evening.

Speaking to reporters outside the Kuala Lumpur High Court earlier, Shafee requested that Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and the court make the wooden bench more comfortable for his client.

The senior lawyer had termed the hard surface of the bench as a form of punishment for Najib even before the latter is convicted.

"You guys are in the (gallery). You've got a layer of cushion... Even then I'm told by (a senior journalist) that he has (posterior) pains because it is still quite hard.

"Imagine, (the accused has to) sit down there on a plank for hours... I invite you to sit there for just one hour. As young as you are, your buttocks are more fleshy than Najib's. Let's see if you can handle it,” he told reporters.

The prosecution closed its case against the former premier today.

Najib was accused of money laundering, criminal breach of trust and abuse of power involving RM42 million of funds from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Justice Nazlan Mohd Ghazali would decide on Nov 11 whether Najib should enter his defence.

Commenting on Najib's predicament, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli said the former premier should be glad not to have endured issues like others who were charged, including himself.

“The least, not being barefoot, handcuffed or (forced to ) wear a purple outfit (for those charged). After that, having to sit in the dock for years (until the hearing concludes).

“We were okay, never complained,” he tweeted with a photograph of himself clad in the purple outfit and in handcuffs. - Mkini