Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak played the pity card in the Slim by-election campaign today, urging voters to translate their sympathy for him into votes for BN candidate Mohd Zaidi Aziz.
Najib also repeated his contention that SRC International funds were used for Umno and for orphans.
The prosecution contends that a significant portion of the funds was used for personal gain, such as for paying off luxury purchases made with his credit cards.
“Ninety-nine percent of (SRC funds) I spent on welfare and political charity work. This was proven in court.
“I spent 99 percent of the funds on Umno, BN, orphanages and tahfiz schools. And I still got fined. That’s not right.
“For the truth, I was willing to swear in court that I did not ask for those funds, and I was not offered those funds.
If all Najib had wanted to do was look after orphans, how come he took such an expensive and illegal route?
After all, he could have passed a bill in Parliament and been showered with support and glory for his generous policy to help the poor. The money would have gone through proper channels.
So, why secretly funnel the money from a pension fund (the pensioners never saw it back) into a ‘development fund’ then into a private company then into his own bank account? Why lumber the nation with vast interest on a massive debt? And where are the orphans he says he helped?
Was it all purely to avoid unwanted praise for his warm hearted attempts to lift up the lives of those little children?
Of course, his wife Rosmah would have approved hugely of this low key approach – she was secretly doing so much for Sarawak’s schools herself you see, through her solar project.
Whilst Najib plainly expects sympathy for this strange way to help the poor without them or anyone else knowing about it (while at the same time tossing the odd present of a diamond necklace at the wife) how does he get around the fact that what he did was plain illegal?
In Malaysia orphans found stealing a bag of rice are daily caned and locked up. So, why did Najib not openly change the law to improve the lives of orphans and stop cruel punishments against the poor?
Electors of Slim are advised to conclude that this convicted criminal is lying and ought not be allowed to pollute their politics.