TURNS OUT ‘IDI AMIN OF M’SIA’ IS MORE POPULAR, NAJIB TELLS DR M
(Malaysiakini) – Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad may have likened Najib Abdul Razak to the cruel dictator Idi Amin but the prime minister didn’t appear to mind as he was in delighted mood.
This was after BN’s big win in the Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar by-elections.
Delivering BN’s victory speech in Sungai Besar last night, Najib had no qualms about bringing up Mahathir’s unflattering description of him.
“He called me the Idi Amin of Malaysia. (Well) the Idi Amin of Malaysia is more popular,” declared Najib.
Idi Amin served as the President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979 and was known for human rights abuses, political repression, corruption and killings.
Najib went on to describe the twin victories as a coup against Mahathir’s campaign to oust him as prime minister.
“The rakyat have rejected Mahathir. The rakyat have rejected the Citizen’s Declaration,” he said.
Najib also vowed to take on Mahathir until the very end, adding that the people couldn’t rely on a 91-year-old man.
The Citizens’ Declaration is a petition initiated by Mahathir which called for the ouster of Najib as prime minister.
Najib said the people wanted a government that can help them with projects and not the Citizens’ Declaration.
Najib also roasted Mahathir, describing him as a man without pride.
“He used to spit on the face of others now he’s swallowing his own spit,” he said.
Mahathir, who campaigned for Amanah in the polls, had urged voters to against BN as a sign of no confidence in Najib.
BN won by 16,800 votes compared to Amanah’s 7,609 votes and PAS’ 6902 votes in the Sungai Besar by-election.
BN also captured 12,653 votes in the Kuala Kangsar by-election compared to PAS’ 5,684 votes and Amanah’s 4,883 votes. The independent candidate received 54 votes.
This was a massive improvement for BN compared to the 13th general election.
BN narrowly retained the Sungai Besar seat in the last general election, winning by a mere 399-vote majority when it engaged in a one-on-one fight against PAS.
The ruling coalition also won the Kuala Kangsar seat with a slim 1,082-vote-majority in the last general election.