KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today questioned why he was being blamed for the alleged sensationalising of the identity of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker when he was no more the country’s prime minister.

Najib also claimed that the Pakatan Harapan coalition that is now ruling the country had continued to blame him for its own alleged administrative shortcomings, urging for an end of the alleged practice of faulting him.

“I am no longer prime minister or in the government that is governing, so why am I blamed in this issue of the appointment of the speaker?” he wrote in a Facebook post today.

Najib had referred to Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran, who allegedly said those who sensationalise the matter of who would be Dewan Rakyat Speaker were seen as trying to divert public attention away from issues related to Najib.

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Kulasegaran was, in turn, referring to Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

Najib today described these issues as “political oppression” against him, which could be an allusion to the recent raids of properties linked to him and criminal charges against him over a RM42 million sum.

“Just like the Pakatan government’s story of the country’s RM1 trillion debt according to their own definition that no other country in the world uses, my name continues to be used as a reason and blamed every time the Pakatan government fails to govern well or fails to fulfil the sweet promises in their manifesto,” Najib further claimed in his Facebook.

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“This excuse of ‘it’s all Najib’s fault’ that has already been Pakatan’s standard operating procedure (SOP) has to stop. Or will this continue on for the next five years?” he questioned.

Najib said such excuses were “unfair” to Malaysians and to those who are hoping for better from the new government.

In the same Facebook post, Najib pointed out that the Dewan Rakyat’s Standing Orders or rules require the proposed Dewan Rakyat Speaker’s name to be presented to the Parliament secretariat at least 14 days before the Parliament session begins.

With the Dewan Rakyat meeting set to begin Monday, Najib said the identity of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker remains unknown with just two days left and that this has led to public debates.

Najib said Parliament was the country’s highest body, questioning if the Standing Orders have been complied with.

“If not capable of complying with the country’s highest body’s rules, how to recognise that this new government is governing based on Rule of Law?” said Najib, who formerly led the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition which lost federal power in the 14th general elections.

Najib’s remark came before that of minister in charge of Parliament, Datuk Liew Vui Keong, who has already also downplayed the issue, saying the names were already submitted on July 2.

While the Dewan Rakyat Speaker candidate has yet to be announced, news reports suggest that retired Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof could be the Speaker.

The names of former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus and former minister Tan Sri Rais Yatim have also been floated as potential candidates.