Najib made bigger mess of Malaysia than Pak Lah, Dr M says
(Malay Mail Online) – Making his case again for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad accused the prime minister of being a greater failure than his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
In his latest blog posting, Dr Mahathir pointed out that during Abdullah’s rule, there had been no talk of lavish spending by the prime minister or claims of a bon vivant lifestyle.
The same could be said of the prime ministers before Abdullah, Dr Mahathir added.
“That there are such talks must be the result of a way of life that is different from what is expected of prime ministers,” he said.
He added that elected leaders are not impervious to removal before their terms expire and cited Abdullah as one example.
He pointed out that like Najib, Abdullah or “Pak Lah” as he is popularly known, had been elected to head the government after he led the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) to victory in the federal polls.
In fact, Dr Mahathir pointed out, Abdullah’s last win had been even greater than Najib’s, having scored a higher majority during the 2008 polls than the latter did in the 2013 election.
“But he was persuaded to step down by the current PM,” he noted.
“So what is wrong with asking the current PM to step down. He has obviously made a bigger mess of the country than the previous PM,” Dr Mahathir asked.
Dr Mahathir has been at the forefront of the attacks on Najib and his government, and has been actively pushing for the prime minister’s early resignation, believing if the latter stays in government, it could cost BN Putrajaya in the 14th general election.
Chief among his concerns are the prime minister’s handling of the controversy surrounding 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the state-owned investment firm that has amassed a debt worth over RM42 billion since 2009.
In March, Najib ordered the Auditor General and Public Accounts Committee to investigate 1MDB, amid growing demands for explanations over the state investment firm’s allegedly opaque investment decisions and for its RM42 billion debt.
1MDB was incorporated in 2009, after Najib announced the decision to turn the Terengganu Investment Authority state fund into a federal agency.
Since then the fund has been dogged by negative publicity over its finances and debts with the most recent being the controversial land deal with Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH).
