PETALING JAYA: As a citizen of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has the right to question the performance of the prime minister and the Government, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic).
"I respect Tun Mahathir as I respect every other citizen of this country. It is the rakyat’s every right to ask questions of me, to question my performance as Prime Minister, and the performance of the Government I lead," said the Prime Minister in a televised interview with TV3 on Thursday night.
He added, however, that he was answerable to the people, and not to any one individual.
"At the end of the day, we are a democracy. I was elected by my party, and by the people of this country, to lead them. As such, I am answerable only to the people – not to any one individual. And if at the next general election, the people want change, they will let us know through the ballot box," said Najib.
Dr Mahathir had up his criticism of Najib and the Government over the last week, criticising the Prime Minister via blog posts on his chedet.cc blog.
In a post last on April 2, Dr Mahathir stated that his criticisms of Najib were simply because he wanted to see Barisan Nasional win in the 14th general election.
“It will not win if Najib is the leader. I had great hopes when Najib took over from Abdullah (former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).
“But he (Najib) did even worse than Abdullah, losing more badly in Selangor where he was Umno head,” Dr Mahathir had said
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) reiterated that there is no evidence linking him to murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Sharibuu.
"No evidence exists at all that I ever knew Altantuya. (There are) no pictures, writings, witnesses – there is nothing.
And the courts have decided this, all the way up to the Federal Court,” said Najib in a televised interview with TV3 on Thursday night.
He further questioned why people have to challenge the integrity of the courts, which he said should be defended.
Najib also denied that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had raised questions about Altantuya in his discussions with him.
"We talked about it once, but in the discussions I saw that he did not question my involvement in the Altantuya case and this matter did not arise at all when I spoke with him," he said.
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PETALING JAYA: Government investment arm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) has more assets than liabilities, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic).
"It is important to remember that 1MDB’s assets are greater than its liabilities. So, in very simplistic terms, if 1MDB were to be wound down tomorrow, the company would still have some assets and money left even after paying off all its debt," said Najib in a televised interview broadcast on Thursday.
Najib acknowledged that there were questions swirling around 1MDB, but said not all questions aimed at it were valid.
"Some of these questions are valid, but there are others that appear to be directed at the company solely with the intention of creating controversy. That is precisely why I have instructed the Auditor General to undertake a comprehensive audit of the company and independently verify its accounts. This report will then be passed on to the Public Accounts Committee, which as you know is a fully bipartisan body for scrutiny" said Najib.
He added that with this process as well as a restructuring of 1MDB underway, "we must let the process run its due course."
"However, there are some elements who continue to repeat the same old allegations about 1MDB, more often than not without full knowledge of 1MDB’s affairs.The people behind these attacks know that they have the potential to damage investor confidence in the country, which in turn would have a negative impact on the economy, but continue to do this. That is irresponsible and putting politics before the interests of the nation," said Najib.
Najib and 1MDB has faced criticisms for debts which were said to have been incurred by the investment body, with former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad being the most recent of those critics.
Mahathir had asked on Thursday that those supporting Najib to also declare their support for 1MDB, which has accumulated debts of RM42bil.
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PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had expressed his concerns over two specific issues when he and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak met.
"He had a few concerns which he wanted me to address, and I have shared my views on those matters. He did not approve of the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) scheme and he asked me to build the crooked bridge to replace the current Johor causeways," said Najib in a televised interview on Thursday night.
Najib added that he regarded his discussions with Mahathir to be a discussion between two individuals.
"It is healthy if we have some differences of opinion. But at the end of the day, I have to be responsible to the rakyat and the party. I brought the matters before Cabinet, and Cabinet made the decisions," said Najib.
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PETALING JAYA: The Sedition Act is for the protection of all Malaysians of all religions, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic).
"The Sedition Act is not just for Muslims; it is for the protection of all Malaysians. It is aimed at preventing any person who promotes feelings of hostility between persons or groups on the grounds of religion – whether the religion attacked is Christianity, Hinduism, Islam or any of the other faiths Malaysia is proud to be home to," said Najib in a televised interview with TV3 on Thursday night.
He added that the decision to retain and amend the Sedition Act 1948 was to realise the goal of building a stable, peaceful and harmonious state.
"We will not and cannot stand for the incitement of racial or inter-ethnic conflict. We have come too far to harm the progress that we have made. And that is why the Government decided to keep the Sedition Act and amend it to make it a better and more suitable law," said Najib
The amendments, which were tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday add to the Act by allowing bail to be denied for those charged if the prosecution feels it is not in the interest of the public, the substitution of fines for offences with a jail term of between three and seven years, a new offence involving bodily injury and damage to property which includes a mandatory jail sentence of five to 20 years among others.
Najib also spoke about his 2012 promise to repeal the Sedition Act.
"You have to bear in mind that circumstances change. From time to time, we need to re-evaluate things, and leaders are allowed to change their mind when it comes to doing what is best for the rakyat," he said.
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PETALING JAYA: The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is beneficial for Malaysia's economy in the long term, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic).
"I understand that there is some concern around the introduction of the GST. However, for the long term good of the economy, it is important that we broaden our tax base," said Najib in a televised interview with TV3 on Thursday night.
He condemned unscrupulous businesses that tried to take advantage of the GST which was introduced on April 1 at a rate of 6%.
"I have been made aware that some unscrupulous businesses, both big and small, are trying to take advantage of the introduction of GST to increase prices above the 6% rate. This is completely unacceptable. I have instructed the relevant ministry to step up their enforcement efforts to ensure that any increases introduced by shopkeepers and business owners are in line with the 6% GST rate, and that any abuses of this system which negatively harm the consumer are brought to a halt," said Najib.
It had been reported that businesses had been using the introduction of GST to justify increasing the prices of goods and services.
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PETALING JAYA: The only way Barisan Nasional can lose the 14th general election is if there is internal sabotage, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic).
"I am confident that the party will not tolerate any acts of betrayal. As long as Barisan Nasional and Umno stays united, we will win the election." said Najib in a televised interview on Thursday night.
He added that he would continue to lead Malaysia as long as the people gave him the mandate to do so.
"As long as the party and people give me the mandate, I will continue to lead the country," said Najib.
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