Najib urges leaders who have failed country to step down

KUALA LUMPUR – Leaders from other nations have stepped down over failing to properly manage the Covid-19 crisis in their respective countries, said former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

On Facebook, the Pekan MP said that the foreign leaders had taken the responsibility by handing in their resignation, after losing the support of the nation and majority of the parliamentarians, which is nothing extraordinary during this current pandemic.

“It has nothing to do with inhumanity and apathy towards the people who need to be saved. It’s quite the contrary.

“This is because the approach needs to be changed after failing many times (and) in the name of justice and well-being of the people and country.”

In the post, Najib referred to the leaders of Italy, France, Slovakia, Mongolia, Tunisia, Nepal, Sweden and India, all of whom have conceded and resigned over their failures in pandemic management, or through confidence votes.

“The difference between those countries and Malaysia is that their leaders failed (although their performance was not as severe as Malaysia’s) and they were ready to accept the responsibility, as this involves human lives and the people’s livelihoods.”

The Covid-19 situation in the country has worsened twelvefold under Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration, despite being under a state of emergency for seven months, Najib added.

Malaysia is among countries that have had or are experiencing the longest lockdown periods because of sharp rises in infection numbers without sufficient assistance for the people. Our country has among the highest transmission and death rates in the world, he also said.

He added that Malaysia’s stock market is the worst-performing in the Asia-Pacific region, and the worst in the world after Venezuela.

Apart from that, foreign leaders have made way for others to continue with efforts to combat the pandemic, the former PM said.

Najib also took a dig at Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who extended an olive branch to opposition leaders on Friday, offering them incentives such as parliamentary reforms in return for support until the next general election.

“They (foreign leaders) did not appear live on TV screens to make bribes and ask for a lifeline, or accuse those who do not support them as being from the court cluster.”

Najib added that countries such as the United States and Japan have changed leaders during the pandemic, both of whom did not destroy their respective countries after being elected to office.

He added that the government’s administration and vaccination programmes will still continue because it “is not Muhyiddin who forked out his own money for the government, nor is he the one administering vaccines at vaccination centres”.

“The only things that change are failed government policies,” he concluded. – The Vibes, August 15, 2021