KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Najib Razak today told the sessions court here that the 55-day visit to New Zealand by former deputy federal territories minister Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara Kumar during the Covid-19 pandemic was morally wrong.
The former prime minister said Santhara who was Segamat MP at the time should have sacrificed his holiday and come back for the rakyat’s sake.
Najib – who is the defendant Batu MP P. Prabakaran’s third witness – said this when queried by lawyer Dinesh Muthal, representing the PKR lawmaker, during the hearing of a defamation suit filed by Santhara against Prabakaran.
“I don’t think it was morally right for anyone (politician) to take a holiday for 55 days, especially during the pandemic… many people were waving white flags because they needed food and help. If I were in this situation, I would have cut short my holiday and I would find the next flight to come back,” said Najib.
Santhara filed the suit on June 23, 2021, claiming that Prabakaran had uttered defamatory words in connection with his visit to New Zealand in 2020.
Based on his statement of claim, Santhara claimed that the defendant had held a press conference outside the New Zealand high commission on March 17, 2021, between 9.30am and 2pm, by issuing untrue and false information on the plaintiff’s responsibilities as a deputy minister.
The plaintiff claimed that Prabakaran or his representative had submitted a memorandum to the New Zealand high commission criticising the approval and permission given to Santhara to visit New Zealand, and that the defendant also contacted officials at the embassy to find out personal information and the plaintiff’s permission to enter the country.
Recalling his Hawaii trip in 2014, Najib said he had to cut short his vacation due to massive floods in the country despite his family pleading for him to continue holidaying.
“But I said no, I needed to be with the rakyat. I didn’t want to take any rest and I came back to be on the ground, with the people (then). During difficult times, one has to be with the rakyat. They need your presence and leadership… and I have always held that as part of my principles as a politician.
“During my tenure, I never took more than two weeks for holiday because I didn’t feel it was right to take such a long leave.
“As a member of the government (leadership), I should also set a good example because if I take 55 days’ holiday then others will also be asking for the same treatment, which is not right – if you were elected by the people you have to serve them. It was a luxury to go for more than two weeks,” said Najib.
Meanwhile, when questioned by Santhara’s counsel N. Krishnan Nair, Najib insisted that the plaintiff was part of the government and he should have informed the rakyat of his whereabouts before he left the country.
Krishnan Nair: Datuk Seri, do you agree with me that when the deputy minister (Santhara) was not around, the rakyat can look for assistance from the minister or other relevant departments?
Najib: I think you missed the point. He (Santhara) was part of the government, thus, he can’t say the minister was there, so he can take a 55-day leave.
Najib stressed that if Santhara was wrong to go on a 55-day leave, it was also wrong for the then-prime minister to approve the overseas trip.
Santhara is seeking exemplary, aggravated, and compensatory damages. The plaintiff also seeks a statement of apology and retraction to be published in three local newspapers in Malay, English, and Tamil and uploaded on the defendant’s Facebook and YouTube accounts.
On September 8, 2021, through his statement of defence, Prabakaran claimed that the statements he issued did not have any malicious intent to tarnish the image or reputation of Santhara.
The hearing before sessions court judge Zulqarnain Hassan continues tomorrow. – Bernama, March 7, 2023
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