Every country has their own political issues, but some are just simply more enticing to keep up with. We’ve seen “Trump vs Biden” and now we have our very own Workers’ Party saga to watch.
But, just next door, our Malaysian neighbours are also brewing their own political tea.
Najib “Not Remorseful”
Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said another former premier, Najib Razak, must be stopped as he is “not one bit remorseful” after his court convictions over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund scandal.
In his second open letter to Johor voters on Saturday, Tun Dr Mahathir said if Najib comes back to power, the country will be controlled by a “kleptocrat from the ‘court cluster’ and risks being robbed”.
Upcoming Johor State Polls
Dr Mahathir’s statement comes in light of the upcoming Johor state polls which will be held on 12 March.
There is wide expectations that the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition will return to power on its own, as the opposition is badly divided.
BN was ousted from Johor and federal power in the May 2018 General Election.
Dr Mahathir and others have described a faction in Umno that includes its president Zahid Hamidi and Najib, which is pushing for the Johor state elections, as belonging to the “court cluster”, as they are facing court cases involving graft.
BN had a strong victory in the Melaka state polls held last November. If this victory is repeated in Johor, there are widespread expectations that a general election will be called that could put BN back in charge of the federal government – something Dr Mahathir definitely does not want.
Najib’s Crimes
Dr Mahathir in his open letter to Johoreans said he had no personal vendetta against Najib, but said that Najib’s own brother, former banker Nazir Razak, came to see him at the height of the 1MDB scandal and asked him to do something as billions of ringgit had vanished.
Malaysia’s Court of Appeal in December upheld Najib’s conviction on graft charges relating to RM42 million (S$13.6 million) he received from SRC International, a former unit of state fund 1MDB.
However, he is out on bail and free to move about while appealing his case to the Supreme Court.
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Ashamed of Najib
Dr Mahathir said he was actually ashamed to always mention Najib’s name and added that Najib has “humiliated Malaysia, the Malays and Islam”.
He claims that Najib pretends to be persecuted by him.
In his first open letter to Johor voters on 15 February, Dr Mahathir said although the “court cluster” Umno leaders are not contesting directly in Johor, they would be strengthened by a BN victory in the state.
“Those who contest on Umno and BN tickets will give strength to the court cluster and kleptocracy,” he wrote.
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He said Najib hoped that the people of Malaysia would believe he was innocent and the victim of persecution by him and his political enemies.
Previously Supported Najib
Dr Mahathir said that before the 1MDB scandal, he had supported Najib and even pressured then Premier Abdullah Badawi to appoint Najib deputy prime minister.
But Dr Mahathir said Najib was not like his father, a dignified nationalist fighter.
“I will continue to denigrate Najib or anyone who tries to damage the country and deceive the people,” he added.
Najib Responds
In a case of he said, he said, Najib responded to Dr Mahathir’s letter, saying the latter had previously asked him to support projects by his cronies.
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“I am grateful to him for supporting me to become prime minister, but after that, he also put pressure on me to support his cronies’ projects,” said Najib.
“When I refused, he kicked up a fuss and started to plot with Muhyiddin Yassin to oust me in 2014, even before the 1MDB scandal became an issue.”
Whether this is all simply a political move in light of upcoming votings or there is legitimate corruption, we will see how Johoreans decide in their state poll.
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Featured Image: Facebook (Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad) + Facebook (Najib Razak)
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