Time for Umno to save Malaysia by unseating Najib
Liew Chin Tong
A national crisis is engulfing Malaysia like never before, caused by one man, Prime Minister Najib Razak. Umno, which gave Najib the post of prime minister now has a duty to Malaysians to remove him from office.
Najib’s failed and corrupt leadership has lead, among others, to the fall of the Ringgit . The currency is still on free fall with no light in sight at the end of the tunnel.
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told an audience recently that “the solution is simple but to achieve it is hard. The solution is to remove the man who is the cause of all this. But the problem is how do you do it? That part, I have no answer just yet.”
Most Malaysians feel that to save the nation from a protracted crisis, Najib must step down. I am quite sure that most Umno members agree with such a view by now as the reputation of Najib’s premiership is at a state beyond repair as far as domestic audiences as well as the international community is concerned.
Umno has to do its part to remove Najib, simply because the prime minister holds office on behalf of and in the name of Umno.
Umno Perlis should speak up like Umno Johor to call on Najib to account for his misdeeds. In fact, Umno Johor should go a step further to sever ties with the national Umno body.
I call on Umno Perlis, and other state committees for that matter, to emulate Umno Johor that spoke up against 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB); the RM2.6 billion “donation”; the Goods and Services Tax (GST); and other issues. Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin even spoke about those very issues in the presence of Najib.
I call on Umno Johor to go further than mere lip service. The rakyat wants real action to stop Najib from further hurting the nation. And Umno Johor can ensure this never happens by dislodging Najib through the severing of ties with the national Umno party.
I was asked by a journalist at a press conference by DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang in Penang on August 10 whether DAP Johor was prepared to work with the Johor Royal House to unseat Najib. I do not wish to comment on the political role of the popular Johor Royals.
However while not commenting on the political role of the Johor Royals, DAP Johor is prepared to work with Umno Johor to fight corruption and to unseat Najib immediately provided that Umno Johor is prepared to reject racial politics and to sever ties with the Umno national party led by Najib.
It is time for Umno leaders and members to do the right thing to save Malaysia and not merely save Umno.
Liew Chin Tong is MP for Kluang; DAP Political Education Director; and spokesperson for transport and public works.
