Najib's charm offensive aimed at Chinese moves to Penang

Najib's charm offensive aimed at Chinese moves to Penang


Fresh from a very successful election campaign in Johor, Najib Abdul Razak has embarked on a new campaign targeted at the Chinese community.

This morning, the former prime minister was the keynote speaker at the 2nd Penang International Business and Investment Summit (Pibis) where some portions of his speech were political and directed at the Chinese community.

In his speech at the Setia Spice Convention Centre, Najib attacked DAP and Pakatan Harapan, which has ruled Penang since 2008.

"I find it quite unbelievable that many Chinese believed in the DAP propaganda that I had ever said 'Apa Lagi Cina Mahu' - just because DAP kept spreading a photo of a Malay newspaper frontpage with those words and, as it so happens, my photo was on that page, too.

"I repeat that I had never and will never say those words which I deem very insensitive and arrogant. That is simply not me," said Najib.

He went on to attack DAP and Harapan for cutting government funding for Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), failing to abolish road toll charges as promised, and the Penang South Reclamation Project which he said is harmful to the environment.

He added that international relations had soured because of contracts cancelled by the Harapan government and Malaysia's stock market is currently among the world's worst performers.

The national debt, said Najib, was now RM1 trillion, 46 percent higher than the time he left office as prime minister in 2018.

'Good times will come back'

Najib extolled his administration between 2009 and 2018 which, in contrast, saw a booming economy and bullish stock market.

Foreign investments and GDP growth, said Najib, were the highest in the region at the time.

"Basically, the people and the Chinese community then had ample opportunities and ample freedom to make money.

"The government never stopped anyone or any community from making money," said Najib.

He claimed many Chinese told him they blame the Harapan government for the bearish stock market and slowing economy.

He claims to have received complaints that the previous Harapan administration "victimised" the Chinese community through unfair income tax claims.

"They tell me that Harapan is only 'hui jiang, bu hui zuo' or only knowing how to talk but cannot do," said Najib, briefly speaking in Mandarin.

After laying the foundation portion of his speech, Najib reached the pitch. He said Malaysia needs BN to come back to power in a truly "multi-racial" fashion.

"I promise you this: If Malaysians restore a strong multi-racial BN government with a solid majority with our proven track record, I can guarantee that the share market will boom once again, foreign investors will knock on our doors, and the good times will come back.

"We can no longer afford to gamble again as the pandemic and the previous four years' nightmare have taken a huge toll on Malaysia. So, please help us and help our country and help all Malaysians," said Najib.

Pibis was organised by the International Strategy Institute (ISI), which described itself as a non-profit engaging in business networking, business research, and business-investor matching. ISI is led by Cheah Chyuan Yong.

The inaugural Pibis was held in February 2019, where the keynote speaker was PKR's Anwar Ibrahim.

Last December, ISI invited Najib as the keynote speaker of another conference known as the World Chinese Economic Forum in Kuala Lumpur.