The clumsiness of Najib’s PR men
Kadir Jasin says the mishandling of a recent controversy could also be a sign that Najib is losing the plot.
(Free Malaysia Today) – There are clear signs that Prime Minister Najib’s public relations handlers are fumbling in their job, according to veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin.
In a blog entry today, Kadir refers to a recent article in Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia that sought to undo the damage done by a New York Times report which quoted a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office to the effect that Najib’s wealth could be attributed to a family inheritance.
According to Utusan, it was Najib’s maternal grandfather, Mohamad Noah Omar, who financed his and his siblings’ education.
The trouble is that bringing up Noah’s name is not the wisest thing to do in the context of Malay politics, Kadir points out.
“When Mohamad Noah is dragged into the issue of the alleged inheritance that Najib is benefitting from, there are bound to be questions about who he was and how he acquired his wealth,” Kadir writes.
Although Noah is remembered as one of Umno’s founders, he says, it was his involvement in the world of business that made him a “special and controversial” figure.
“He was a business partner to Malaysia’s Gambling King, Lim Goh Tong. Mohamad Noah and Lim initiated Malaysia’s only casino project at Genting Highlands in 1965.”
