PM’s American version of Nothing to Hide

No press conference, Najib’s media shy meeting with Trump

RM2.6 Billion Turkey Haram: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House was unusually short on camera time, with restrictions placed upon the media’s access to both leaders.

Najib, you have just blown away the chance to showcase your good self and Malaysia at a press conference. It was an opportunity for you to take on journalists from the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times, which have not been too kind to you. You would have made Malaysia proud.

Instead, shame of all shame, you chose to release only a press statement, a rare practice by leaders who visit the White House.

Najib, if you are afraid to face questions from foreign journalists, how on earth can you lead the country? Holding press conferences with journalists is a chance to defend your leadership and promote the country.

If you keep running away from the media, you are failing the people. And you cannot afford to run and hide from them; it is an act unbecoming of a prime minister.

Learn from your counterpart south of our border. Do we see Singaporean premier Lee Hsien Loong failing to meet the press?

Vijay47: Considering the huge amount of unfavourable international attention on him and 1MDB, what better opportunity for Najib to clear such negative perceptions than to meet the media at a joint press conference?

But when our prime minister is famous for being too panic-stricken to meet even Malaysian journalists, one would hardly expect him to face the Washington Post, New York Times, and others waiting with a long ready list of decidedly painful questions.

Thus, he chooses to adopt the safe retreat of issuing a press statement which, by the time it reaches Malaysian shores, would have been portrayed by Bernamaand TV3 as a story of how our valiant leader conquered the US.

But we have to credit our embassy at Washington for its subtle beggarly touches of homage like staying at the Trump International Hotel, a subservience that the US president’s press secretary sniffed at when she snorted that “We certainly don’t book their hotel accommodations”.

And that, folks, was the US version of Nothing to Hide.

Odysseus: Didn’t Najib know that the true measure of his leadership and credibility is to face the press? Why did he need to fly halfway around the globe to take a photo with Trump?

Kingfisher: There were occasions, not too many unfortunately in recent times, when a meeting of foreign leaders with the US president gave some hope for optimism that there will be promising considerations for the strengthening of democracy, human development and security globally.

There were also special occasions when a foreign leader spoke to both the US Senate and the House of Representatives on the aspirations of the nation he represented and on his progressive vision for responsible moral, political/military leadership internationally under the patronage of a powerful nation like the US.

One can recall the visit of the late Lee Kuan Yew from Singapore some decades ago and his profound speech to both Houses.

Times are changing and claims to “leadership” at international level has come under much scrutiny and consequent criticism for failures to upheld professed moral benchmarks for leadership effectiveness and nation building.

Clearwater: Trump, the businessman, understands Najib, the politician turned kleptocrat. You don’t get to the top adhering strictly to rules. You don’t amass wealth quickly by being honest. You make a deal with the devil if that advances your cause without too much compromise.

One is not too different from the other. Except that one has to fight an election within one year whilst the other has three more years to go.

Twitterjaya baffled by PM’s pledge to ‘strengthen’ US economy

Doc: Several Malaysian personalities took to Twitter after Najib announced in his opening statement during his meeting with Trump that Malaysia wanted to help strengthen the US economy.

It looks like Najib has forgotten about strengthening the Malaysian economy. On the other hand, maybe his job in strengthening the Malaysian economy is going rather badly so he has decided to strengthen the US economy and get some credit for that.

Maybe Najib is hoping that in strengthening the US economy, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) will get off his back.

Something that sounds like this – MAS will buy lots of awesome American Boeing planes that cost lots of money. The billions spent on this buying spree will boost the US economy and Boeing will hire more Americans and give Americans more jobs.

And Najib hopes this good gesture of strengthening the US economy will get the DOJ to cut him some slack.

Abasir: Why are our politicians upset by Najib’s open offer to strengthen the US economy? Haven’t they heard of “you help me, I help you”?

Najib’s offer is no freebie, it comes with strings attached. And Trump, being a “deal maker”, is not one to walk away from such a deal.

As it is, no one knows how many millions of Malaysian taxpayers’ money has already been splurged at the Trump International Hotel by the Malaysian delegation.

The US media has also reported members of the delegation loitering about the lobby with shopping bags, after intense and hectic shopping – to boost the US economy, of course.

Betty Hutton: Please be realistic, Najib. Why are you using our hard-earned Employee Providence Fund (EPF) funds to strengthen the US economy?

I am an EPF contributor and I do not authorise you to spend even one sen to strengthen the US economy. I protest at what you are doing to our money, throwing it away on aeroplanes when MAS is dead broke.

Looney Tune Film: Najib was a pathetic supplicant. The US (and DOJ) can smell fear and trepidation from MO1.

In the end, this much-touted visit will become another zero-sum game for Najib’s political survival – you can’t buy and patronise your way out in a country where the rule of law is still functional.

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