'Najib worse than Pak Lah, but no action from Umno'
MalaysiaKini.com
Sept 26, 2014

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has performed more badly than his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in the 2013 general election, but no action was taken against Najib because Umno is weak.

In making this analysis and venomous attack on Najib, veteran newsman A Kadir Jasin said he met with Dr Mahathir Mohamad earlier this month, during which the former prime minister confirmed he sent Najib a letter criticising the Umno leadership, and that Mahathir was asked, through an intermediary, to retract the letter.

“Dr Mahathir said Najib did badly in 2013 – worse than Abdullah did in 2008. Umno got rid of Abdullah but not Najib. What lessons have Umno learnt? What has happened to the post-mortem? Has Umno made changes?” Kadir asked in his blog posting.

“These are the posers that 'sincere' Umno leaders should answer, instead of saying they respect Dr Mahathir and support the PM,” Kadir, former editor-in-chief of New Straits Times, said.

In the blog entry, Kadir also noted that Abdullah was not sacked by Mahathir (left) in 2009 as Mahathir was not in the Umno leadership then.

“Abdullah was forced to resign by Umno. But Umno would not pressure Najib to resign.”

Mahathir told him, Kadir said, that he had done his part in bringing up the grouses of the people to Najib and it was up to Umno and the people to decide on the future of the current prime minister.

“But Mahathir did not believe Umno would act on its president. Umno president may be strong, but the party is weak,” Kadir, who is now editor-in-chief of magazine publishing company Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd, added.

Mahathir, who remains influential in Umno, wrote in his blog last month that he regretted choosing Najib as the prime minister was withdrawing his support for him.

It was also reported by The Asia Sentinel that Mahathir had sent a letter containing seven grouses to Najib, but the intermediary, identified as Umno secretary-general, Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, told Mahathir to retract it.

However, several Umno leaders have called on Mahathir to end his 'cold war' with Najib

'Muhyiddin should voice-up'

Kadir further wrote in his blog that Najib's deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, should stop talking about being tired and wanting to retire.

“As deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president, Muhyiddin should up his ante as the voice of the ordinary Umno members, in particular and the Malays in general,” he said.

Kadir also said that a young executive, formerly a committee member of an Umno overseas club, who was also at the meeting with Mahathir, said younger leaders such as party Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir (right) should also be brave in defending and fulfilling the aspirations of young Malays and Malaysians.

“They should stop playing safe and becoming apple polishers. They should emulate young Umno leaders of the past like Mahathir and late (Selangor menteri besar) Harun Idris, who took risks for the sake of the party and the country.

Kadir also wrote that a Malay daily has resorted to censoring Mahathir's reply to the paper's criticism of Mahathir for criticising Najib.

He said the elements of the mainstream media appeared to have gone back to Abdullah Badawi's era by denying Mahathir's his right of reply.

“An Umno-owned Malay newspaper (Utusan Malaysia) had commented on Mahathir's criticisms on Najib. But when Mahathir sent a reply, the paper 'refused' to publish his letter. The New Straits Times did the same during Abdullah's era,” Kadir said.

The apple polishers with Najib, Kadir said, should stop treating the people like fools and have respect to what Mahathir had said.

They, he said, should reply to Mahathir's criticism and not say they respected the former premier and supported Najib.

“This is not the answer. To say time has changed is also not the answer. Mahathir’s criticisms are about policies and they need serious replies.

"Mahathir is not demanding respect. He is asking them to listen to the grouses of the people, mend their ways, be less corrupt, work harder and to make Umno strong and respectable again.

"They should be with the members, instead of tugging the coattails of ministers,” Kadir said.

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