Najib portrayed as martyr before arrest, says Kit Siang

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's strategists are portraying the embattled former prime minister as a great and selfless martyr ahead of his anticipated arrest next week over the 1MDB scandal.
His highly paid tacticians had vindicated themselves by winning in the Umno elections yesterday, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said today.
As if to drive home the point that Najib is still a force to be reckoned with in Malaysian politics, Najib's strategists went "for the kill" to deliver the message that Najib is still the leading force in Umno politics, the DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri said.
It was also to set the Umno agenda in post-GE14 with the statement on the pertinence and sagacity of Najib's "bastardised" Malays prediction three years ago, he added.
"Najib spoke about 'bastardised Malays' in Perlis in August 2015, a month after he orchestrated the 1MDB 'Week of Long Knives' where he carried out an undemocratic coup d'tat and sacked the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail, and crippled all institutions which might have upheld the rule of law on the 1MDB scandal," Lim said.
"(It) enabled 'a dead man walking" for some three years until Malaysians regardless of race, religion and region united in the GE14 to Save Malaysia from hurtling towards the trajectory of a rogue, failed, kakistocratic and kleptocratic state."
He warned at the Padang Besar, Kangar and Arau Umno delegates meeting in Kangar that the Malays and Muslims would lose everything if Umno loses power, Lim said.
"Najib's statement last night is the best proof that there are Umno leaders who have not learnt the lessons of GE14 and who see the formula for Umno's revival a return to the irresponsible and extremist politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies which was propagated with an intensity and viciousness never seen in previous general elections," Lim said.