KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Umno presidential candidate frontrunner Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s office has denied a manifesto that appeared in the Malaysiakini news portal which has set the country buzzing with its conservative stance.
The manifesto, among others, said Najib will defend Malay supremacy, set up a council of presidential advisers apart from denouncing a string of allegations against him and vowing to use all means to destroy elements that threaten the stability and peace of the country.
“It’s a falsehood,” was the terse reply from a Najib aide this morning when asked about the manifesto, noting that Umno candidates do not usually issue manifestos in party election campaigns.
Malaysiakini did not retract the report but issued a clarification that the manifesto came from a support group and was not sanctioned by Najib. The deputy prime minister’s recently launched website — www.1malaysia.com.my — did not have the manifesto but had a statement on the party elections datelined Oct 19.
Party observers were puzzled with the manifesto, saying that none of the newspapers or other news portals carried it.
“It appears like a scoop but in sounds more like it was planted,” an Umno media strategist told The Malaysian Insider.
The manifesto covered a wide range of topics from his vision for Umno and the Barisan Nasional to the string of allegations including the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu and Malaysia Today articles that suggested he practised Hindu rituals and the string of text message exchanges between purportedly between him and lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
It also quoted Najib in defending the Eurocopter helicopter contract which the opposition and other defence contractors have criticised as rushed and too pricey apart from him promising that his family will not participate in business or interfere in the country’s administration.
Najib has received 65 nominations thus far to succeed outgoing Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The other declared contender for the post, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, has yet to received any nominations from the balance of the 191 Umno divisions holding meetings until Nov 9.
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He intends to bring Mahathir back to consolidate his power in UMNO. And he has no respect for human rights, as it is subject to his party's will.
Corruption is 'biasa' to him, an 'adat' among Melayu UMNO!