Declaration seeking my removal does not represent majority view, Najib says
(Malay Mail Online) – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “Citizens’ Declaration” does not represent the majority view of Malaysians.
Instead, the prime minister said the declaration signed by opposition leaders and several rebel Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders was mooted only to promote the agenda of a select few.
“So, the truth is it is not the citizens’ declaration because it is not decided, written and agreed upon by the majority of Malaysians,” he said at the launch of the three-day Malaysia Inklusif Digital Negara (MINDA) programme at the Kuching Waterfront here.
“It is only a personal agenda of certain people. It is not about the agenda of the ordinary people. I know the majority of Sarawakians do not support the declaration from the statements they made,” he said.
Najib also cautioned Malaysians against believing all the stories they read on social media regarding the matter.
“We must know what are factual and what are not. What are half-truths and what are half-lies,” he said, adding that many stories on social media are just opinions of the writers, although they are often taken as truths.
“What we read in the social media are stories about knowledge, truths and fictions. So we should separate the truth from the fiction,” he said.
Citing one example, Najib said: “A trip to London is true. But a story on what happened in London is a pure creation of the writer and therefore, not true.
“That story we consider as half-truth,” he said, without elaborating what story he was referring to or what trip to London.
Dr Mahathir led a delegation of politicians and activists last week to sign a “Citizens’ Declaration” that called for the replacement of Najib as prime minister and a change of his government.
The declaration also expressed concern over the controversies surrounding state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the RM2.6 billion deposited in Najib’s personal accounts.
It carried over 40 signatures comprising BN veterans, opposition politicians and civil society leaders.
On Wednesday, backers of the anti-Najib initiative held a meeting where they agreed to name their group the “Save Malaysia” movement. They also decided to start a nationwide signature drive this month in Johor, Kedah, Sabah and Terengganu, states that have seen dissent within Umno against the current administration.
Apart from Dr Mahathir, prominent signatories of the “Citizens’ Declaration” include former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who comes from Johor and former Kedah mentri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who comes from Sabah, has also expressed support for the Citizens’ Declaration although he has yet to sign it.
