KUALA LUMPUR – DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has questioned if Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be Umno’s pick as the next prime minister, acknowledging the former leader’s influence and attempt at making a political comeback.
In a statement, today, the veteran lawmaker claimed the upcoming Johor election will be a dry run for Najib in his venture to return to the country’s top post.
Lim said the convicted Pekan MP’s preparation is evident when he officiated the 2021 World Chinese Economic Forum on December 27 last year, and later appeared on a front page interview in a national daily.
“The Election Commission will ring the bell for the beginning of the Johor election next Wednesday, which is a rehearsal for the sixth prime minister to return as the 10th or 11th prime minister of Malaysia.
“Najib is undoubtedly the Malaysian politician who is most-heeled financially, commanding the largest fleet of cybertroopers to mould and shape public opinion with lies and misinformation.
“Time will tell whether Najib will succeed in making a political comeback,” he said today, adding that the Barisan Nasional (BN) adviser has no qualms whitewashing the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
Lim also noted a statement by MIC last year demanding Umno name its prime minister candidate before it seeks to negotiate seats for the general election, and said neither the party or MCA – components of BN – is “yes-men” to the coalition’s lynchpin.
“So, who will be Umno’s prime minister after the 15th General Election? Will it be Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob or will MCA and MIC support Najib?"”
Lim went on to draw comparisons between Najib and former US president Donald Trump, saying both leaders share uncanny common characteristics in the way they are trying to make a political comeback.
Like Najib, Lim said Trump has also shown interest at rising back to the top when he publicly toyed with another bid for the White House, with his political organisation announcing that it has amassed an unprecedented US$122 million war chest.
“It has conjured a vision of a second term that would function as a tool of personal vengeance and become even more authoritarian than his first, when he vowed to pardon US Capitol insurrectionists if he runs for the White House again and wins.
“As a result, Trump and his fans already referred to him as the 45th and the 47th president,” Lim said.
Najib, who served as the country’s sixth prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 28, 2020 for multiple charges of corruption linked to 1MDB.
On December 8 last year, the Court of Appeal upheld this decision. Najib is currently appealing his verdict at the federal court. – The Vibes, February 2, 2022
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