[UPDATED] ‘Unbecoming’ to support Najib after 1MDB conviction, says Penang DAP man

GEORGE TOWN – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s recent visit to Penang has incensed at least one state DAP lawmaker, with Pengkalan Kota Daniel Gooi Zi Sen saying that the Pekan MP could not be trusted.

Gooi told The Vibes that it is unfair for Najib to come to Penang and declare the state would be in better hands under Barisan Nasional (BN) and that the Chinese voters are backing the coalition.

“Can you believe what Najib says anymore? He is, after all, convicted for offences related to 1MDB. 

“What message are his supporters sending to the youth? That we should accept someone who is proven to be corrupt?

“Najib is a national embarrassment. It is unbecoming for anyone to support him.” 

Gooi said this when asked to comment on Najib’s visit to Penang and the remarks he made during his trip.

“Najib saying that Penang will be better under BN is gross misrepresentation. 

“What has BN done for Penang in over a decade? It has sabotaged the state at every turn just because the voters here opted for another coalition.”

In his first visit to the state since 2019, he was greeted with enthusiasm, with “bossku” banners put up around town. 

Meanwhile, chief minister and state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow said Najib often likes to be surrounded by crowds wherever he goes.

“It used to be thousands. Now, some say 300 or 200. It is his way,” said Chow after visiting a neighbourhood park in Taman Desa Mawar, Air Itam here.

Asked if DAP is rattled by the show of support for Najib, Chow said to let the crowd size speak for itself.

PKR’s Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said Najib’s whirlwind tour simply reinforced the public opinion that the former prime minister is a “penyamun dan perompak”, the Malay words for robber and thief.

“It just reminded the people of Penang about what happened running up to the 2013 election, when there was free flow of food, beer and getting Korean singer, Psy, to sing two songs,” Sim said.

“Then there was the issue of too many BN flags, to the point where there is no place to hang them anymore. They were then dumped by the roadside. Penangites remember all those things well.”

However, Penang BN women’s chief Norliza Abdul Rahim has slammed the attitude of certain quarters over Najib’s visit, saying he was invited to visit the state.

Norliza said that she is unhappy with the attitudes of Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Hong Yeam Wah and Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng, who were critical of community leaders showing support for Najib. – The Vibes, March 27, 2022

Additional reporting by Rachel Yeoh