KUALA LUMPUR – Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad had some choice words for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, such as “clown par excellence” and “master riddler” following last Thursday’s public debate with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Khalid, who is also Amanah communication director, mocked Najib for his claims that “not a single sen of the rakyat’s money” had been used to pay 1Malaysia Development Bhd loans, saying this makes the Umno man a “liar par excellence”.
He noted that Najib has yet to retract the statement although past and current finance ministers had highlighted it as nothing more than a blatant lie.
“His (Najib) claim that he did not know that millions of dollars were deposited into his personal account which he uninhibitedly spent, while not knowing it was there, made many laugh uncontrollably, until they realised it was their money, of course.
“No one is able to make his audience switch from laughter to tears so effortlessly and seamlessly like DS Najib. He is no doubt also a clown par excellence!” said Khalid in a statement yesterday.
Khalid also took issue with the phrase “cash is king and king is rakyat” used by Najib during the debate, sarcastically saying the former prime minister showed his “talent as a master riddler” with his tales of “shameless lies and jokes”.
“So what does the phrase mean? Based on Najib’s deeds, the rakyat are dispensable, like cash, to be used to buy what one needs, for one’s interests. Meaning to say the interests of the rakyat should never ever be a consideration nor a stumbling block to you doing what you must to succeed and to remain in power.
“Just like how cash can be spent to buy everything and everyone, the interests of the rakyat can also be bartered and parlayed with.
“There is a phrase I used to hear: ‘ingenuity mistaken for madness’. I hope that with Najib, it is not the other way round. Or is it?”
The “cash is king” phrase was first associated with Najib in 2015 when he defended the contentious 1Malaysia People’s Aid cash aid policy, where over the years he reiterated that direct cash transfers were the solution to help the people.
During the debate, he also defended the goods and services tax, which he introduced in 2015, saying if the tax system was still in force, the country would have an additional RM30 billion.
He added that the country should focus on widening the economic cake instead of selling off national assets, and took a swipe at Pakatan Harapan during its time in government.
However, Anwar had shot back, saying: “If we have a cake, don’t let just one person eat it.” – The Vibes, May 18, 2022
