KeADILan to spearheard ‘SAY NO TO NAJIB’ campaign

By Wong Choon Mei | suarakeADILan | May 23, 2009

KeADILan Youth will spearhead a nationwide campaign aimed at giving Malaysians a platform to jointly express their rejection of incoming Umno president Najib Abdul Razak as the sixth prime minister of the country.

Entitled ‘Say NO to Najib’, the idea for the campaign was initiated by youths from different parts of the country.

“This fact cannot be denied - there is a big NO in the hearts of many Malaysians,” said. Pakatan Rakyat leader and KeADILan information chief Tian Chua.

“Even as he is trying to secure a smooth ascension to the No 1 job in the country, the nation is getting more and more anxious. The people are waiting and hoping for a last-minute change from Pak Lah.”

Najib is slated to take over from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on April 3, according to an internal power transition knocked out by a group of Umno leaders aligned to him. Abdullah, or Pak Lah, was forced to accept early retirement even though his term officially ends only in 2013.

Youth wings of the Pakatan Rakyat are due to deliver a memorandum to the Palace appealing to the King to reject any proposal to appoint Najib as the next premier.

“I am finalising discussion with other Youth leaders from PAS and DAP to get this memorandum sent to the Palace as soon as possible,” said Shamsul Iskandar Akin, KeADILan Youth chief.

“The choice of Najib as prime minister is a huge mistake. Never before in our history has a leader with such a scandalous past record been appointed Prime Minister of Malaysia. It will bring great shame to us all.”

Scandalous past and present

According to Shamsul, Najib has never challenged any of the graft allegations brought against him throughout his 33-year political career - including the latest news report published by well-known French paper Liberation.

The Liberation had linked Najib to the sensational commission-and-murder case of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, an alleged a go-between in Malaysia’ one billion euros purchase of three submarines, including two Scorpenes, during Najib’s tenure as defence minister.

Two special unit police officers, previously detailed as bodyguards for his wife Rosmah Mansor, have been charged for her brutal murder in Malaysia in 2006.

The beautiful 28-year old was alleged to have been Najib’s mistress before she met and became the lover of Abdul Razak Baginda, his close associate and alleged intermediary for the 114 million euros commission paid by French shipbuilder Armaris for the acquisition.

According to the Liberation, a jealous Rosmah refused to pay Altantuya a cent of her US$500,000 share of the commission. That left Altantuya with no choice but to pester Razak Baginda, and this eventually led to her killing.

“I challenge Najib to charge me if all the reports that I have lodged with the police are false,” said Shamsul, who on Mar 7 lodged a report against Najib and Rosmah for their alleged involvement in the murder.