I respect Dr M but I am responsible to the people, Umno, says Najib

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said his responsibilities are to the people and his party, Umno. – The Malaysian Insider filepic, April 9, 2015.In an indirect swipe at Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he is not responsible to any individual, but to the people and his party Umno, and takes into consideration criticism hurled against him, including those by the former prime minister.

In an interview with Hamdan Ahmir on TV3 tonight, the prime minister said he respects Dr Mahathir and the people of Malaysia, and that he was open to any criticism against his administration.

"I hope the criticism is prudent and responsible. I take every criticism into consideration.

"But in the end, I have to make decisions as prime minister and president of Umno. I am responsible to the people and the party," said Najib.

He was answering questions about criticism against him by Dr Mahathir on his administration and on issues related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu; the implementation of the goods and services tax, the strengthening of the Sedition Act and others.

He said Dr Mahathir wanted the 1 Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) scrapped and the “crooked bridge” linking Johor and Singapore to be revived, adding that these two issues could have been part of the reason why the former prime minister was relentless in his criticism.

“He (Dr Mahathir) had two things he wanted me to do. He wanted me to do away with BR1M and revive the Johor crooked bridge.

“I respect Tun, just like I respect all the people.”

Najib said he regarded his discussions with Dr Mahathir as healthy discussions between two people, even though their views were different.

"Most of the issues raised were brought to the Cabinet and the Cabinet made the decisions."

Apart from his administration in Putrajaya, Najib was also slammed for his leadership in the party by Dr Mahathir, who had posted in his blog, that Barisan Nasional and Umno would lose the 14th general election if the former stayed in command.

Asked what he thought of the remark, Najib said it was Dr Mahathir's personal view.

Najib said the success of BN and Umno would depend on their strength and as long as they remained united and there was no in-fighting or sabotage among themselves, they would win in the next general election.

He said the cause of a breakup in the party and government would be due to an internal crisis.

He also said that unlike Dr Mahathir's time, the present administration and BN had to deal with perception and the influence of social media, which were huge challenges for him and his partners.

On whether the unending criticism would affect him, Najib said what he needed to do was to carry on and continue his policies. He also said he still had the support of the people and the party.

"I won't say I make no mistakes. No human is perfect. If my administration is lacking, I am ready to make improvements. There is more criticism this time... but no matter how painful, I will accept the criticism.

"If what I do is supported by the people and the party, I will continue my policies. The focus of our direction is not determined by one individual.”

Najib also said he could see that the party was standing with him, following open statements of support by several Umno and BN component party leaders recently.

On whether his long-time relationship with Dr Mahathir would remain the same, he said only time could tell.

Najib also said he hoped the people would be able to see what were most important for Malaysia – its direction and future.

He added that politics could not overtake the interests of the nation and urged the people not to fall for negative talk that Malaysia's economy was finished, but to instead have confidence that the country was on a positive path.

"If we have weaknesses, we will correct them so tomorrow will be better than today. No administration is perfect. Not Tun's, not mine.

"But we have inherited a nation that has a bright future and Malaysia is regarded as a model country around the world... we must realise that we have a bright future. Our differences in opinions do not matter."

On moving towards Dr Mahathir's Vision 2020, he said the government needed to make sure the lower income groups would not be left out.

- TMI