Najib raps those who tarnish country’s name abroad for political mileage

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has taken a swipe against the political opposition and their allies who have sought to blacken Malaysia’s name in the American media with wild allegations, culminating in the false claim that Malaysia is in danger of sliding into dictatorship.

In a hard-hitting article which appeared on the eve of his arrival for a working visit to the United States, the prime minister said the opposition’s ability to argue against the government so openly and vigorously was proof of the increased freedom Malaysians have.

“But falsely running down Malaysia’s vibrant democracy and spreading smears and falsehoods about this government in foreign newspapers just for political gain is another matter.

“That does not show pride in what we’ve achieved. Nor does it demonstrate love of our country,” Najib said in the piece titled ‘Malaysia’s Record of Democracy and Free Speech is Strong’ published on his blogsite, najibrazak.com.

Najib is scheduled to arrive in Washington DC on Monday for the Sept 11-13 visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump.

Najib said the government had faith in Malaysia’s democracy and in the right of the people to air their views.

He said that the opposition, however, had tried to make out in the American press that critics of the government were “routinely imprisoned”.

“Why, then, is it that you’ll find praise for opposition politicians in our national newspapers, and vigorous debate – including plenty of criticism of the government – on Malaysia’s web portals?” the prime minister said.

Najib said the truth was that his government upheld democracy, free speech and the rule of law.

“Our record is clear, as is the enhancements of the people’s freedoms under this administration,” he said, noting that the opposition was welcome to and had indeed engaged in debate with the government, as Malaysians knew from reports on both traditional and new media.

The prime minister pointed out that under his government, Malaysia’s democracy had been strengthened with the most far-reaching reforms since independence, including repealing the Internal Security Act (ISA) and ending the State of Emergency that had existed for over 60 years.

These, Najib said, were major steps that required great political courage.

“But we went forward with them because removing these outdated and repressive pieces of legislation was the right thing to do,” he said.

Other reforms that had been undertaken included increasing media freedom by scrapping restrictions on newspaper publishing licenses and reforming the Universities and University Colleges Act to allow undergraduates to participate in political activities.

Najib further said that demonstrations, which would never have been allowed under a former leader, had taken place in Kuala Lumpur over the last few years.

This, he said, was due to the Peaceful Assembly Act that for the first time enshrined in law the right to peaceful protest which the government recognised as being part of a democratic society.

On the dictatorship claim, Najib spoke of the irony as one of the opposition’s leaders had admitted that he was a “dictator” during his 22 years in power.

“And it is true that when he was prime minister, hundreds of people were summarily locked up under the Internal Security Act. Newspapers, including a major national daily, were closed. The judiciary was attacked.

“Crony capitalism was rife, with deals made that significantly burden the people today. People had no right to demonstrate, and students were not allowed to participate in politics,” the prime minister said.

On the government’s firm belief in upholding the rule of law, Najib said this was essential to the safety, security and welfare of any society.

“And the excellence of the financial markets regulations we have put in place, for instance, has been recognised in numerous world rankings,” said Najib who is also finance minister.

Najib said when it came to fiercely fought elections and the freedom to speak one’s mind, Malaysia had the strongest and longest democratic record in the whole of Southeast Asia.

The country’s past elections showed this, he said, with different parties winning different states and prominent politicians losing their seats, for no results could be guaranteed in a free democratic vote.

“It’s up to the people to choose, and that is a record of which all Malaysians should be proud,” Najib said.