KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — Umno Youth is fully satisfied with Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s explanation today on issues raised by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the wing’s chief Khairy Jamaladdin said after this evening’s pow wow with the party president.
According to The Star Online, Najib cleared the air on everything, including the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy, allegations surrounding the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu murder, the crooked bridge project and even claims raised over the purchase of the government jet, apart from other political and economic issues.
“Now that the president has fully explained, we will relay the information to the grassroots and the rakyat,” he was quoted telling the media after the 90-minute meeting.
When asked if the support was genuine, Khairy reportedly said that party members would not blindly offer support for their leaders.
“If we do this, not only will this cause a leader to fall, but the whole Umno ship will sink,” he was quoted in The Star Online as saying.
Last week, Wanita Umno pledged the wing’s support to Najib after a similar meeting with their party president.
Wing chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abd Jalil said after the meeting that Wanita Umno has always been “loyal” to the presidents of the party.
Dr Mahathir, the country’s longest-serving former prime minister, has repeatedly targeted Najib’s leadership by accusing the latter of failing to dispel allegations such as that dogging state-owned investment firm 1MDB and its debts.
Two weeks ago, Dr Mahathir suggested in a blog post that Barisan Nasional (BN) could end up losing power in the next general election because of falling confidence in the current administration.
Among other things, Dr Mahathir said “no investigations were conducted” on convicted former police commando Sirul Azhar Umar’s claim that he was acting under orders in Altantuya’s murder.
Dr Mahathir has also criticised the Najib administration’s annual cash hand-out to low-income groups through the 1 Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) scheme.
Najib has been facing growing pressure from his detractors to step down, particularly from Dr Mahathir.
But many leaders of the component parties in BN have pledged their full support for Najib as the country’s prime minister.
Last Thursday, Najib addressed several of Dr Mahathir’s allegations during a pre-recorded interview on TV3.
