Najib: Working with opposition the height of Dr M’s betrayal
Najib says, unlike Mahathir, he has always been loyal to the Umno president.
(FMT) – Umno president Najib Razak today described Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s cooperation with the opposition as the height of his “betrayal”.
In his opening address at the Umno general assembly Najib said he was saddened that his former mentor-turned-nemesis had turned his back on the party he had led for over two decades.
“We looked up to him but he is now willing to work in cahoots with the DAP, Bersih, Amanah and PKR.”
Worse still, Najib claimed, Mahathir was willing to conspire with billionaire George Soros whom Mahathir had once accused of currency manipulation.
“Sadly, the fact is, Mahathir is the pinnacle of betrayal towards Umno, his race and country.”
Najib is the latest to castigate Mahathir, something that has become a theme at this Umno general assembly.
Yesterday, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin hit out at Mahathir, through a poem centred on the latter’s famous phrase “Melayu Mudah Lupa” (Malays forget easily).
Khairy said Mahathir’s actions now epitomised the phrase.
Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Jalil, meanwhile, had described the moment when Mahathir “kissed” DAP leader Lim Kit Siang as the “darkest day” of her life.
Najib, in his speech today, said Mahathir’s action was very different from his own, citing his loyalty to Umno presidents whenever the party faced a crisis.
He pointed to the 1987 Umno crisis when then party president Mahathir took on Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the declaration of Umno as an illegal body and the 1997-1998 financial crisis.
“Razaleigh was disappointed in me then. I remained loyal to the president even though, on a personal level, I was very close to Razaleigh.”
“When Umno was declared illegal, who stood firm behind Mahathir until the new Umno was accepted once more?”
“Who else, who else if not us, the Umno members,” he said to cheers from more than 2,700 delegates.
Najib said he appreciated the loyalty of Umno members and urged members to continue being loyal to whoever became Umno president and prime minister in the future.
