I don't want it, you can take it back – Najib to Rafizi

 

Najib Abdul Razak said Pakatan Harapan is more than welcome to take back its initiative, which Rafizi Ramli claimed has been hijacked by the former premier.

“I don't want this initiative, you can have it back because I have no intention of becoming the 'Raja Formula Songsang' (king of twisted formulas),” he said on Facebook this afternoon.

An aide to Najib later explained that the “Raja Formula Songsang” remark was aimed at Rafizi's formulas which failed to materialise such as free tolls, cheaper cars and eradicating higher education loans.

The aide said, the former Pandan MP, who announced his decision to vie for the PKR number two post after a long hiatus from active politics, also vowed to rebut all of Najib's “twisted” ideas.

Rafizi had raised this when dismissing Najib's call on the government to rescue the troubled Sapura Energy Bhd.

Meanwhile, in his Facebook posting in response to Rafizi's interview with Malaysiakini, Najib launched a salvo against the PKR leader, who was among those responsible for exposing the 1MDB scandal.

Rafizi Ramli

“This is the main reason why Rafizi is targeting me. He said Harapan is weak because I have snatched its position and ability to communicate with the people.

“He wants to take the initiative back from me. This means he is opposing me because of Harapan's interests. Not because I am wrong. Not for the people's interests either.

“Just for Harapan's political interests,” Najib added.

Ability to connect with voters

Rafizi had told Malaysiakini that what has been missing from Harapan over the last two or three years is its ability to connect with the voters on a daily basis.

“To make matters worse, that ability has been hijacked by Najib.

“He took the populist approach to voice out day-to-day issues that we used to do when we were the opposition. So, effectively, Najib is the de facto opposition to the government,” Rafizi added.

Much to the chagrin of Najib’s political rivals both outside and within Umno, the 1MDB scandal and his conviction have failed to dent Najib's popularity, especially among the Malay electorate.

During election campaigns, the Pekan MP continues to draw huge crowds. - Mkini