Prime Minister Najib Razak this morning decided to address the recent controversy surrounding Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar’s meeting with Jacel Kiram, daughter of self-styled “Sultan of Sulu” Jamalul Kiram III, the man who ordered the armed incursion os Sulu separatists into Lahad Datu, Sabah in 2013.
It didn’t go exactly as planned for the PM.
Najib posted an oblique chastisement towards Nurul Izzah on his official Facebook page, lambasting the insensitivity and disrespect of “a citizen of this country meeting and appearing to be on cordial terms with one who has ties to Sulu terrorists”:
He reminded his Facebook followers of the pain and suffering experienced by the people of Sabah due to the 2013 incursion, and the deaths of Malaysian military personnel in their efforts to contain the armed invasion.
Since the status update was posted this morning, Najib’s message has gone viral, with almost 7,000 Likes and more thn 1,200 Shares.
However, most of the comments appending the post have been negative, and follow one prepared script, written to mimic and subvert the sentiments the PM had put forth in his own post.
Hundreds of comments to Najib’s post contain the same message:
“Sudah tentu kejadian pencerobohan Iraq,Palestine,Syria dan serata negara Islam yang lain oleh askar-askar Amerika dan askar zionis masih segar dalam ingatan kita semua.
Ramai anggota saudara muslim kita yang kehilangan nyawa dengan cara paling zalim pada ketika itu.
Tindakan seorang pemimpin negara kita yang bertemu dan kelihatan begitu mesra bersama orang yang mempunyai kaitan dengan pengganas nombor satu dunia baru-baru ini langsung tidak menghormati perasaan penduduk negara muslim yang lain ini terutamanya rakyat yang kediaman mereka dibom setiap malam”
“No doubt, the invasions of Iraq, Palestine, Syria and other Islamic nations by American and Zionist troops are still fresh in all our memories.
“Many of our Muslim brethren have lost their lives in the aftermath of these barbaric acts of violence.
“The recent actions of our national leader who has met and seemed so cordial with those connected to the world’s foremost terrorist absolutely disrespects the sensitivities of Muslims around the world, especially those whose homes are bombed every night”
Many of the posts sharing the PM’s message on Facebook carry the same text as their captions.
The comments point to Najib’s cozy relationship with United States President Barack Obama, who visited KL for the second time in conjunction with the 27th ASEAN Summit. Many are of the opinion that the US government commits atrocities against Muslims all over the world, and Najib’s perceived friendliness towards his one-time golfing buddy has been used as ammunition to fire back at the PM’s comments against Nurul Izzah.
Other commenters noted that Najib is quick to pass judgment on others, but is slow to examine his own alleged wrongdoings, a pointed jab at the controversies surrounding the PM and sovereign investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and the ongoing turmoil within his ruling Malay party UMNO.
