Najib has the right to speak out, and party members can leave Umno if they think the Pekan MP is a liability, Tajuddin Abdul Rahman says.
Former prime minister Najib Razak said his resignation from Umno posts did not mean he should not speak out on current issues after former minister Nazri Aziz told him to distance himself from the party.
Najib said he felt obliged to respond to accusations against the administration he had led.
“I am also entitled to defend my policies and to clear the perceptions and some of the manipulation of facts and figures by the new government,” Najib told reporters today.
“I think that’s only fair. Self-defence is a right given to any individual and citizen, that is why I am exercising my right to explain our policies and the reason why we have done certain things,” he said.
Najib today said he had not interfered in party matters following his resignation from Umno after the May polls.
“I have not interfered in the administration of Umno, for example, in the appointment of office bearers, and in deciding the candidate for Sungai Kandis,” he said, adding that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has his full support.
He said he was only carrying out his duties as an MP.
Meanwhile, veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said it is unfair to stop Najib from voicing his views as the latter is still an MP.
Tengku Razaleigh said that as long as Najib was not convicted of any charges, he still remains an innocent man.
“Whether he wants to be active or not, it is up to him.
“There are no rules within the party to stop him from doing so.
“Najib is still a lawmaker, so he can still voice out,” said the Gua Musang MP.
At a separate press conference, Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman concurred, saying that Umno leaders should not “abandon” Najib by labelling him a liability to the party.
The Pasir Salak MP said Najib would only be a liability to the party if he were already found guilty of crimes.
Umno members who have publicly said Najib is a liability to the party do not deserve to remain in Umno, he said.
Umno leaders such as Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin and Padang Renggas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz have recently made public statements claiming Najib should distance himself from the party.
They had claimed it would allow the new leadership to shape the party without interference.
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