Opposition finds it hard to accept Najib's successful visit to Washington: Analysts

KUALA LUMPUR: The success of Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's visit to Washington, which also witnessed a friendly meeting between the prime minister and the US President Donald Trump, seemed hard to be accepted by the opposition leaders who continue spreading lies about the government, according to political analysts.
They said although the meeting had a positive impact to the nation, opposition leaders were still trying to create a negative public perception on the prime minister's visit.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) geostrategist Prof Dr Azmi Hassan said such a strategy was common among the opposition leaders, especially during prime minister's trip abroad.
"They criticize it as if the government is selling the country off. They had used the same strategy before, especially when the prime minister announced about Chinese investments, they said he had sold the country to China," Azmi told Bernama.
During the meeting with Trump, Najib announced that the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Khazanah Nasional Bhd were planning to expand their investments in the United States and to purchase more Boeing jets to help strengthen the US economy.
Najib said the EPF alone was expected to invest between US$3 billion (RM12.57 billion) and US$4 billion (RM16.76 billion).
However, several opposition leaders, including PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah Anwar and Rafizi Ramli, as well as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, had used the social media to criticize the outcome of the meeting between Najib and Trump.
Azmi said the prime minister's announcement on the investments by the EPF and Khazanah in the US were indeed capable of generating revenue for the country and would benefit the people through high devidends.
"Among the business strategies of EPF and Khazanah is to invest overseas and to be able to do so in the US is indeed a good opportunity not any company could have," he said.
Meanwhile, political analyst Prof Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the prime minister's visit to the US had also brushed off the negative perception on him, especially regarding the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issues.
"By going to the US, he (Najib) had brushed off the perception that he wouldn't dare to go there," he said, adding that the visit had indeed benefited the prime minister in terms of moral legitimacy. — Bernama