Western media should apologise to Malaysians, says PM's press secretary

PETALING JAYA: The western media should apologise to Malaysians for propagating false politically motivated allegations against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
In a statement issued to the media, Najib's press secretary Datuk Seri Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad said the admission from Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir that the donation to Najib came from the Saudi government, confirms what the Prime Minister had maintained all along.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 13th Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Adel told the media on Thursday that it was a genuine donation with nothing expected in return.
"We are also fully aware that the Attorney-General of Malaysia has thoroughly investigated the matter and found no wrongdoing.
"So, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed," he was reported as saying by Bernama.
Tengku Sarifuddin added that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should also be held responsible for the damage he has inflicted on Malaysia's reputation.
"Tun Mahathir's lies were motivated by personal interest, not care for Malaysia or the people. It was an attempt to use deception to unseat a democratically-elected government, just to save the political career of Tun Mahathir's son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir," he said.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said Adel's comments was proof that the RM2.6 billion donation did indeed come from the Gulf kingdom.
Azalina also took a dig at the "Citizens' Declaration" movement spearheaded by Dr Mahathir for holding Najib responsible for the woes of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
"The Citizens' Declaration continues to mislead the people by accusing the Prime Minister of being involved in deviating 1MDB's money," Azalina said in a statement.
She however added that the public would not be fooled by the false accusations made by the movement in its aim to oust Najib.