Khairy and Nazri slam Najib’s adviser role in BN
Minderjeet Kaur
-July 14, 2019 3:53 PM
FMT
Nazri Aziz (left) and Khairy Jamaluddin speaking to reporters after the Padang Rengas Umno division meeting today. (Facebook pic)PETALING JAYA: Umno’s outspoken duo Nazri Aziz and Khairy Jamaluddin today spoke out against party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for allowing Najib Razak to be the main adviser to Barisan Nasional.
They said the decision was not in line with the party’s interests.
Furthermore, Nazri said the decision was not one made by the Umno Supreme Council, of which he is a member.
“There was never even a discussion,” said Nazri during a press conference, after the Padang Rengas Umno division meeting today.
Khairy, who was the guest of honour at the event, said it would be “insane” to expect BN and Umno to achieve different results with Najib in an influential position.
They both said Najib had his chance in the last two general elections and BN had performed worse than before.
Nazri further said Najib should step aside, just like he had urged former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after BN’s dismal election performance in 2008, to avoid weakening the coalition.
Nazri pointed out that in the next general election in 2013, under Najib, BN had lost even more seats.
“He (Najib) has to realise that he has to step back,” Nazri said.
“I really don’t understand it because by right Najib should be looking at how he can help the party and not how the party can help him.”
Nazri said Najib was no longer just being slandered by individuals as his case was now in the midst of court proceedings, adding that he should allow the present leadership to run the party.
“Bossku is not a political party. That is only a slogan used by the people but it does not translate to votes,” he said, adding that Umno and BN had to rise again under a new leadership.
Nazri and Khairy also urged Zahid to “behave like the party president” and do what is best for the party, instead of just a few individuals.
Asked if they were forming a new movement, both Nazri and Khairy denied it and said they were just voicing their disagreements on policies, which is allowed in the party.
Both also made it clear that they had no intention of leaving the party.
On July 9, Barisan secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor announced Najib’s appointment as the chairman of the Barisan Nasional advisory board.
The Pekan MP had resigned as Umno president following BN’s defeat in the 14th general election last year.
