Muslims in Malaysia not united because of an 'old leader'

The Malay Muslims in Malaysia are not united today because of one “old leader” who split them up into different parties, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said this leader was to blame for causing the Malays to be divided into three separate parties during his administration.

“Now that he has retired, he has divided the Muslims further into five groups by forming another party.

“This leader has a habit of being quarrelsome, acting like a hypocrite, he slanders them one moment, but then befriends them the next,” Najib said in an audio recording of a speech posted on his blog on Friday.

The Prime Minister did not name the “old leader”, but it is believed that he was referring to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Najib said Muslims in this country were finding it difficult to unite because of this former leader’s actions, blaming the latter for complicating efforts to achieve a united ummah.

“He has thrown many harsh words at me when he too was not spared from accusations, such as being called kepala perompak (chief of robbers) but everyone knows I am not the first person he has abused.

“Many others were victimised by him in the past but have been picked up (as allies) again for political reasons at certain times,” Najib said.

The Prime Minister said all Muslims were considered brothers, and as such, he had tried to befriend parties with majority Muslim members although they may disagree in terms of political ideology.

“A Muslim leader has the heavy responsibility of uniting the ummah. I strongly hold on to this principle as it is called for in the holy Quran.

“I humbly urge all of us to stop quarrelling. Let’s go back to being united to form an ummah that is strong and successful,” Najib added.

Dr Mahathir receiving 'poetic justice'

What is happening to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Muhammad now is "poetic justice", says Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.

In a blog post, the Communications and Multimedia Minister criticised Dr Mahathir for calling the supporters of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as "Little Goebbels".

Paul Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler's close associates, a politician and Reich minister of propaganda in Nazi Germany.

"Ironically this was what they also used to say about those who worked for Mahathir when he was prime minister," he said.

"In fact, they also used to refer to Mahathir as 'Hitler', meaning a megalomaniac leader who accused his number two of sodomy as an excuse to get rid of him. It is poetic justice when what was said about Mahathir, he now says the same thing about Najib," said Salleh Said.

He pointed out that that in 1987, Dr Mahathir said he would not step down if he won even by just one vote.

"Maybe Mahathir failed to notice that Najib won uncontested. So why should Najib listen to Mahathir and step down?" said Salleh Said.

"Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said a number of bloggers who in the past used to support him have switched allegiances and now support Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. What needs to be noted is that a few of these bloggers who Mahathir is talking about were actually aligned to Mukhriz and worked very closely with him since 2006," said Salleh Said.

He said that therefore, these bloggers knew that the plan was to make former Kedah mentri besar and now Pribumi founding member Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir the prime minister.

"Yet they abandoned Mukhriz in 2015, which says a lot about their confidence level. Mahathir says these bloggers have been bought. Anyone who does not support Mahathir makan dedak or has been bought. Is he saying all those who support him do so also because they have been bought?" he said.

PAS hits out at supposed 'political allies'

PAS looks set to snub cooperation with any other Opposition party including its "ally" PKR, whom they say have been taking them for a ride.

Without naming any individual or any party, PAS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (pic) said it was better for the Islamist party to be friends with those who accept their ideology and agenda.

"For PAS, it is easier to cooperate with an ally who is honest rather than being in a relationship with those who want to take advantage of us," he said in a statement Wednesday night.

Tuan Ibrahim then took a jibe at a "political ally", for taking an advantage of them during previous Sarawak state elections and the subsequent Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections.

"There was this party that had their candidates all lined up, but the party machinery and workers were not in sight.

"Worse, there was this party that dumped all the candidates' posters and party flags at our door and told us to handle it.

"We would not mind if the party is a year or two-years old, but this party has been around for so long and only appears during elections," he said.

Tuan Ibrahim said he also found it strange that Opposition parties who want PAS' agreement on seat distribution were the ones who had accused them of cooperating with Umno.

"PAS was made a punching bag, we were attacked by all these lies suggesting that we would cooperate with Umno and that we were "animal feed (dedak)" from Umno.

"While we were under attack they remained hopeful of forging cooperation with us. Isn't it strange?" he asked.

PAS was part of the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat before they had a fallout with DAP.

However, they remained allies with PKR, governing the Selangor state government together.

After the formation of the new Pakatan Harapan Opposition pact - consisting of PKR, DAP and PAS' splinter party Parti Amanah Negara – PAS forged cooperation with Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan) and called themselves a "constructive opposition" bloc.

But the situation became more complicated with newly-established Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Pribumi), led by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, coming into the picture.

Dr Mahathir had called on all Opposition parties, including PAS, to work together in order to defeat Barisan Nasional in the next general election.

PAS, however, refused to give up any of their seats to Pribumi.

Zahid likens veteran politicians to 'old books'

While appreciating the value of the past experience, veteran politicians should be mindful of their role in the current political reality to avoid becoming object of public scorn, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi .

The Deputy Prime Minister said those who had previously served in public office or as elected representatives must act accordingly and not interfere with those who currently serving.

"If we have become an old book with blurry pages placed on the bookshelf, just remain quite and don't disturb others below.

"If the book falls on its own, it will get angry if people start stepping on it," he said this in his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of Wisma Mubarak and related commercial project in Sentul here Thursday.

Although Dr Ahmad Zahid was quick to say that he was only talking "about a book" and not referring to anyone in particular, it was a veiled reference to former leaders who are now critical of the Government.

The rift includes the recent setting-up of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Pribumi) by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who are now allied with the Opposition to wrest power from Barisan.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said that veteran politicians should not be too nostalgic and caught up with memories of the past as they must remain relevant to the young generation, particularly first-time voters.

He noted that the younger generation, particularly first time voters, were more concerned about the future rather than reminiscing about the past.

"They want what is new, what is in their future and what they should deservedly gain.

"They want something tangible in front of their eyes and leave nostalgia to memory," he said.

On a separate issue, Dr Ahmad Zahid said that the Government would look into ways of assisting former elected representative, particularly those who may be facing hardship surviving on their pensions.

He added the assistance would benefit former elected representatives from both Barisan and the Opposition.

Rahman Dahlan hits back at Dr M over Nazi remark

Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan has chastised former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for comparing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and those in Government to Nazis.

"The success of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's working visit to Germany this week proved wrong Dr Mahathir Mohamad's false claims that Malaysia is failing," said the Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director in a statement on Thursday.

Abdul Rahman said that Dr Mahathir had "reached a new low" by comparing Najib and others in the Government to Nazis while the Prime Minister was in Germany.

"Germany has atoned for its past and built a democracy that is an example to many others. It is wrong to run down a country and dredge up its painful history just for the sake of selfish political point scoring," Abdul Rahman said, adding that Dr Mahathir's remarks are destroying his legacy as a former prime minister.

"Fortunately for Malaysia, Dr Mahathir is no longer our leader. He has caused disgust and offence in Germany, which last year was the largest European investor into Malaysia. Total German investment is US$11.4 billion. In contrast, our Prime Minister has been an honoured guest of Chancellor Angela Merkel, fighting to further the economic and security interests of Malaysia and its people," he said.
Najib started his three-day official visit to Germany on Monday.