Assessing Leadership During Crisis

SEREMBAN, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- A leader's leadership capability could best be assessed when the country is experiencing a crisis, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Referring initially to the individual only as he (dia), Najib said "he" almost compromised the country's sovereignty to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when Malaysia was going through an economic downturn.
"What was his policy? Wasn't it a policy that amounted to selling our honour and totally surrendering the nation's interest and sovereignty to the IMF?" he said in his speech before about 2,000 people at a dinner function here tonight.
"We still remember this... Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and I were in the Cabinet at the time and we knew what was happening through the discussions."
He said the Cabinet members at the time knew that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister had reduced the non-performing loan period from six months to three months.
Najib said the country's financial situation turned for the worse when he cut government allocations three times in a year, sending the country into a financial crisis.
"....many companies went bankrupt or were almost bankrupt as a result of the action.
"That was why the Prime Minister then (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) decided to take on a different economic direction and financial policy.
"That was how we were saved from the financial crisis of 1997," he said.
Najib said today, such a leader should not proudly regard himself as a capable leader.
"A leader would be tested during a crisis, which would show his leadership qualities.
"If he fails the test, today he should not be saying that, `if I have the power, I can do this and do that.' This means he's trying to hoodwink the people as he had failed as a leader when he was in power."
"This is the reality... so we must not lie or make wild accusations," he added.
Najib said the people must not fall for empty promises by leaders who claimed that they could bring down fuel price if given the chance to come into power.
"Even the superpower, the United States, took two weeks to lobby the Arab countries to increase oil production but their request was turned down.
"What more this country's opposition leaders who claim that they can solve the rising fuel price problem," he said.
Also present at the dinner were MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, State Secretary Datuk Norzam Mohd Nor and several Barisan Nasional leaders.

tunku : "he" the moron will be cursed forever.if not for the quick action by the former pm, today we will be owing the IMF by billions.i wonder if he was under pak lah then what will happen to us.....