KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has apologized for remarks he made that is now viewed as demeaning to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Najib was poking fun at the government over its plan to replace toll collection along four highways with congestion charges, saying no one would benefit from the free “off-peak” period between 11pm and 5am.
In a Facebook post today he said it could be seen from the video clip of his speech that he was just repeating the remarks of the audience.
“I did not mean to ridicule LGBTs or those who plied highways at night. I admit I went with the answers and responses given by last night’s audience. I humbly apologise if anyone was offended,” he said in the post.
In the clip that was attached together with his post, Najib can be seen mocking the plan to waive toll collection at night, saying it would only benefit “ghosts, alcoholics, LGBT, and their customers”.
On Saturday (Feb 23), Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed announced that under a “congestion charge” that would be introduced, commuters would pay the equivalent of existing toll charges during peak hours.
However, there would be no charge from 11pm to 5am. During the day, users would get a 30% discount during off-peak hours.
