‘One ex-leader bent on toppling Govt’
He’s spreading fake news for selfish gain, says Najib
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says it is unfortunate that “fake news” about the country is being spread by a former leader to foreign media.
In an apparent reference to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib said the former leader had been on an almost three-year mission to topple a democratically elected government.
“Because he has tried every method at his disposal and failed each time, he is now making himself available to any media organisation that is willing to listen so that he can spread fake news and tell lies about his country for selfish political gain,” Najib said in a keynote address at the United Nations Association of Malaysia dinner event here yesterday.
The Prime Minister said it was unfortunate that “we are living in a time when we are faced with an epidemic of fake news”, adding that some Western media had also featured the former leader from time to time.
He cited several examples, such as Malaysia being in the “top 10 most corrupt countries” and that the nation was bankrupt and sliding into a dictatorship.
Najib said these allegations were rebutted by Transparency International and the World Bank.
“The irony is that this former leader has admitted that he himself was a dictator when in office. His words, not mine,” he quipped.
Earlier, Najib, whose address was on “Governance in a Developing Democracy”, said the progress made in a democracy could be seen from the lively political activities and feisty elections where the Opposition was able to secure significant representation in Parliament.
Under his leadership, he said the Government abolished the Internal Security Act, removed restrictions on newspaper licences and allowed university students to participate in political activities.
He said the Peaceful Assembly Act was also passed to permit demonstrations.
Najib said that TN50 was a longterm development programme, which used innovative policy-making that required extensive engagement with the people.
He added that TN50 was another clear example of the Government practising good governance in responding to the changing needs of the younger generation.