I’m not alone in wanting PM to step down, Dr M claims
(Malay Mail Online) – There are many people who have privately backed calls for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down as Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed today.
The ex-prime minister claimed that Najib was misled into thinking he still had public support, as many of the individuals who have openly supported him have privately stated otherwise.
“Everyday when I meet people, they say, you are not alone.
“It cannot be me alone, that I’m the only one who wants him to step down, I think a lot of people want him to step down for the good of Umno and for the good of the country,” Dr Mahathir told reporters when met on the side-lines of an anti-war forum here.
“I’ve tried to impress upon him that such (support) rallies don’t mean anything, that when people say I support you and put up a placard to say ‘I love you’ it doesn’t mean that they love you.
“That is why I fear that the people who have come up to support him, is giving him the wrong impression, that he is popular, that he is getting support,” Dr Mahathir added.
He claimed that recent surveys and readers’ responses to his blog showed declining support for Najib.
“Believe me, when I talk to people, almost none of them (have) support for him,” Dr Mahathir said, referring to Najib.
In recent remarks, Dr Mahathir said he could no longer remain silent and that the days for diplomacy have long passed, adding he will now push for Najib’s resignation openly.
He said the prime minister’s refusal to address allegations such as those surrounding 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and linking him to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu put Barisan Nasional’s (BN) rule at risk.
Najib responded recently via a televised interview with TV3, during which he said Dr Mahathir’s criticism was due to his desire for the “Crooked Bridge” to be revived and the 1 Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) discontinued.
The so-called “Crooked Bridge” was Dr Mahathir’s idea to replace the Causeway, but was discontinued by his successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and believed to be among reasons why the latter was hounded out of office by the man who put him there.
Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders have also urged the former prime minister to cease his hostility towards Najib, warning that continuing to do so will only harm the government and country.
Over the weekend, Dr Mahathir reportedly said BR1M was spent on ingrates when others, such as those on the island of Langkawi in his home state, were in much greater need.
