Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has clarified that it was PPBM rather than the Conference of Rulers that had asked Umno and PAS to come together and form the PN government.
In a Facebook post, he said there are certain parties who took issue with his previous statement and have accused him of insulting the Malay Rulers by insinuating that they had requested for the formation of the government instead.
“What I wrote earlier was what happened when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned as prime minister on February 24, 2020. In the Federal Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has the power to consider forming a new government or dissolving Parliament in the event the prime minister resigns,” he wrote.
In an earlier post, Najib had reiterated that Umno had wanted for a snap general election following the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government.
However, he said Umno was asked to join the formation of the PN government after the Conference of Rulers disagreed with holding the election. He had then not stated which party had requested for Umno to join the pact.
In his update, Najib said the Agong had brought the “extraordinary predicament” following Dr Mahathir’s resignation to the Conference to be discussed among the Malay Rulers.
“It is understood the meeting will discuss the nation’s latest political developments, including the possibility among the Rulers and especially the Agong, of whether a new government will be formed, as well as the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat,” he said, quoting from a February 27 news article.
He added that the resulting decision by the Conference was to not dissolve Parliament and hold elections, but instead to hand over the decision of appointing a new Prime Minister to the Agong.
“Thus, His Majesty decreed that the heads of all political parties should come forward to prove majority support for whichever MP, who would then become prime minister.
“Subsequently, Umno and PAS were asked by Bersatu to form the new government under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, which was later named Perikatan Nasional,” he said.
Najid had today backed Umno’s decision to consider retracting its support for PN, saying it was the right decision.
He said the decision was based on the grouses of party divisions and the grassroots as they felt they were being sidelined in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government.
“Given the sentiments of the grassroots and Umno leaders, I think yesterday’s decision is reasonable and not excessive because it can open a bigger and fairer space for us to contribute to economic recovery efforts and curb Covid-19,” Najib said.
Last night, Umno’s political bureau threatened to pull out of PN if the party’s terms were not met. Party secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the terms will be spelt out in writing to Muhyiddin and has to be expedited as soon as possible.
Najib alleged Umno and its leaders were being sidelined in political matters and even economic matters when it came to decision-making processes.
He said what had happened in Sabah elections, when Bersatu’s Hajiji Mohd Noor was made chief minister over Umno’s Bung Moktar Radin left grassroots members infuriated.
“What happened in Sabah (including taking Umno and PN seats to field independent candidates to split the BN vote), statements from the Bersatu youth chief as well as the perceived bias of power-sharing have continued to inflame the dissatisfaction and anger of many Umno members,” Najib added.
In a lengthy Facebook post justifying the decision, Najib said the party and the Barisan Nasional pact it is leading have increasingly been made a scapegoat for the apparent failures of the government.
“For example, the prime minister and his successor Azmin are both from Bersatu. The finance minister is neither from BN nor PAS,” he said, referring to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Mohamad Azmin Ali, and Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Aziz, respectively.
“The ministers in charge of economy and international trade are likewise not from BN or PAS. As is for Khazanah and Petronas. In fact, no one from Umno and PAS was appointed to the Economic Action Council to fight Covid-19,” Najib said.
He also highlighted instances in which Umno attempted to argue for certain things but was routinely ignored by Bersatu.
“We repeatedly said the loan moratorium should be extended, or at least to Sabah, which the PN government did not heed. Similarly, the combination of UEM Sunrise with Eco World which Umno has consistently opposed went ahead, leading to the government losing the biggest property company in Malaysia with the most owned land.
“In terms of controlling Covid-19, the National Security Council (NSC) declined to implement the proposal from the health minister, who is from Umno, to carry out mandatory quarantine for those coming from Sabah prior to the state election,” he said, referring to Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
Najib added the NSC’s decision to not require mandatory quarantine in government centres for those returning from abroad, as well as a Bersatu minister’s failure to isolate detainees led to the Sivagangga cluster in Kedah and the situation in Sabah to proliferate, as well as in several other detention centres in Perak and Penang.
“If these mistakes did not occur, there would be no third Covid-19 wave in Malaysia. And now, Umno is being blamed for the third wave at the present.
“Since the formation of the PN government, BN leaders, including myself, have consistently defended it in spite of the numerous decisions or mistakes made by Bersatu leaders, for that was the promise we made when it was formed,” he said.
Najib said it was this sense of unfairness among Umno members for having to defend the mistakes of others which led to the party’s decision yesterday to reconsider its support for PN and offer new terms of cooperation, as well as register Muafakat Nasional officially as a political party.
“If we continue to be in the PN government, like it or not, Umno and BN will also continue to be blamed if there are economic decisions that are questionable, or if the economy becomes worse.
“This is despite the fact that there is no one from BN or PAS who is involved in any economic-related decisions,” Najib wrote.
Najib also pledged not to accept any post either in government or Umno until he has cleared his name of all graft charges.
He said he was confident he is innocent in the eyes of the law and will clear his name eventually.
“In this regard, I do not want to accept any ministerial post even in the Perikatan Nasional government or any new government as long as my cases have not been resolved and my name has not been cleared,” Najib said.
He also blamed the previous Pakatan Harapan government and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the trumped-up charges against him.
“I am confident and certain I can clear my name and be found innocent, including in the appellate court if the legal system is fair and free from the plots of Dr Mahathir and the previous PH government,” Najib said.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court found Najib guilty on July 29 on all seven criminal charges – three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power – to illicitly receive RM42 million into his personal account from SRC International Bhd.
Najib is now appealing the case.
He is facing other charges related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.
He also advised the current crop of Umno ministers to steer away from the political drama and stay focused on delivering for the people, especially protecting the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“My advice to Umno and the PN government in general is that economic recovery, Covid-19 control and the welfare of the people are a priority and any political measures taken should not be allowed to affect it.
“Ministers from Umno and BN in the current PN government should focus fully on this at this time,” Najib added.