KUALA LUMPUR – Muda’s meeting with former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today was merely part of a bipartisan initiative to garner support for the windfall tax to be included in Budget 2021, said a co-founder of the youth-led party.
Muda’s Muthalib Uthman said party representatives met with Najib as well as other lawmakers to lobby for the tax.
“We were there to push for the windfall tax, so we met everyone concerned including Najib,” Muthalib told The Vibes.
Najib, he added, put forward his demands for next year’s federal budget such as the extension of the loan moratorium and Employees Provident Fund withdrawals.
Muda chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had been pushing for the windfall tax on glove makers as they enjoyed supernormal profits during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Syed Saddiq, who is Muar MP, then embarked on an initiative to garner support from lawmakers on both sides of the divide, including Pekan’s Najib.
However, the move drew flak from social media after Najib’s son Muhammad Norashman posted pictures on Instagram of the meeting this afternoon between his father and Syed Saddiq as well as other Muda representatives. The session was held at Najib’s home.
But Muthalib said among Muda’s aims was bipartisan engagement on various policy matters, and the party had also met with Amanah president Mohamad Sabu (Kota Raja-Pakatan Harapan), DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH) and lawmakers from Warisan to discuss the windfall tax.
On public backlash over meeting Najib, Muthalib said that party representatives had been facing criticism regardless of which politician they met.
Najib is the first sitting prime minister to be convicted as a felon after being found guilty of all seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money-laundering in relation to RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Najib, who is appealing the conviction and out on bail, has two more pending trials on 1MDB.
“The same complaints are made if we meet DAP, they will say we are DAP agents. If we meet Anwar, they will say we want positions. Everything has a mistake (to point out) when Muda does something. But of course, there are those that support us,” Muthalib said.
Syed Saddiq’s canvassing of bipartisan support for the tax is similar to when he was youth and sports minister under Pakatan Harapan where he pushed for lawmakers to vote for the decision to lower the voting age to 18. That bill was passed on July 16 last year.
The Dewan Rakyat will be voting on Budget 2021 tomorrow. – The Vibes, November 25, 2020
