Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has accused DAP lawmaker Tony Pua of “assaulting” the Foon Yew High School in Johor, calling it vengeance and a form of intimidation politics.
This came after Pua lamented that the school’s leadership should be removed for lack of integrity after the school welcomed Najib, who has been convicted of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power in relation to RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.
“This is exactly the type of vengeance and intimidation politics of an arrogant DAP that the rakyat, including the Chinese community, are increasingly turned off by.
“Pua’s malicious need to lambast a prestigious school that has produced many top Malaysians for their choice of speaker needs to be called out as an election ploy to gain some traction.
“No matter his issue with me as his political rival, the Damansara MP’s assault on this school - or any school - for their choice of speaker is absolutely unbecoming of any politician of any stripe,” Najib said in a statement yesterday.
Najib’s visit
On Feb 24, Najib visited the school's Seri Alam campus in Johor (photo, below) and delivered a speech imploring the Chinese community to support BN.
Najib had approved the school's construction in 2013 when he was the prime minister and revealed that he overruled then education minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who had refused to give the nod.
Najib had also approved the school's Kulai campus when he was the education minister in 1999.
Foon Yew High School chairperson Tay Chin Hein claimed the visit was at Najib's request, and the school was grateful for his past deeds. Therefore, it did not want to create a misunderstanding.
However, Najib said that he was invited to the school.
Yesterday, Pua described the incident as the ”screwed up” state in society, lambasting the school for inviting the country’s “top-most crook who misappropriated tens of millions of ringgit, if not billions of taxpayers’ money, a world-renown kleptocrat” to speak at the school.
Najib said the Damansara MP’s accusations towards the school board were uncalled for, questioning his position to judge the integrity of the school board of the country's largest Chinese independent school.
“When I decided to visit Foon Yew Bandar Seri Alam Branch to see for myself the development of this school, I was very touched by the reception I received.
“Is it wrong for me to be asked to share a few words with their faculty and students and see how the school is doing after its opening last year?” Najib questioned in response to Pua’s remarks.
‘I shall sue you’
Najib said that unlike DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, he was merely charged under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Prevention Act (Amla).
“Please remember that I have been charged with Amla - not stealing.
“Unlike your boss Lim and Muda president (Syed Saddiq), I was not charged with misapplication of assets or asking (or) receiving bribes under the Penal Code.
“In fact, I was charged nine times for receiving the so-called RM2.6 billion and charged another seven times under the same Amla act for returning it to (its) sender four months later - not stealing or using it for personal reasons.
“The RM642 million which was sent by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance (as proven in court) to accounts under my name was also given away for various corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives directly or via the political parties - not for personal use even though I was free to use those funds however I wished,” Najib said to Pua.
Najib added that Pua could continue accusing him of stealing the RM2.6 billion so that in return he would sue him.
“So please say that I stole and use the RM2.6 billion for myself and I shall sue you like how I sued the PKR chief for saying the same last week.
“Continue to direct your energies and attention at me. But leave the school and its people alone to carry out their noble work,” he added.
Najib is seeking to quash a 2020 ruling of the High Court in Kuala Lumpur that convicted him, as well as imposed a 12-year jail term and RM210 million fine, over one count of abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust, and three counts of money laundering involving RM42 million of funds from SRC International.
On Dec 8 last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal to overturn the guilty verdict and sentencing in the SRC graft case. - Mkini
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