PM Najib did not blame the Chinese: Datuk Razali

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had never blamed the Chinese following the setback suffered by Barisan Nasional in the 13th General Election.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Razali Ibrahim said Najib is not the type of leader to lay the blame on others for any blunder.
Citing the infamous "Apa lagi Cina mau?" (what more do the Chinese want?) headline, Razali, who is also the Muar Umno chief, stated that Najib had only wanted to get the Chinese votes back to Barisan Nasional.
"He was asking the Chinese what else do they want so that he can do something to get them back to support BN," he said.
"He was not angry at the Chinese and he did not blame the Chinese," Razali said in his speech at the Umno Wanita assembly at Putra World Trade Centre.
The controversial "Apa lagi Cina mau?" was the frontpage headline that appeared on the front page of Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia following BN's poor performance in GE 13.
The election which was held in 2013 saw DAP winning the most parliamentary seats among the opposition parties, a victory largely contributed by the swing of Chinese votes towards the opposition.
During the MCA annual general meeting last month, Najib had told the Chinese to throw their support behind Barisan Nasional or risk having a weak representation in the government.
"Please give us the support. You cannot have everything your way. You ask for schools, you want this and that but you did not give the votes ... This is illogical. Then, you complained that we always provide to the Malays and the others. The other supported us!" he was quoted as saying.
Razali said aspiring leaders must take Najib as an example of not blaming others for any failure.
He added Najib had even apologised to the rakyat after BN had lost its two-thirds majority in the 12th GE in 2008.
"He did not blame the rakyat for not voting for BN in 2008. He apologised and launched various transformation measures," he said.
"He told the people that the era that government knows best is over. He continued to approach the rakyat," he added.