Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was today asked by DAP Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng to answer to the people for his failure to visit Sabah following the fatal earthquake there last Friday.

"When the earthquake struck, Najib was in the country, but he chose to travel abroad," Lim said at a press conference held at Parliament lobby today.

"Najib should have gone straight to Sabah to show moral support for the people, but he chose to 'abandon' the Sabahans, who have supported BN all along, " he said.

"This is not the first time (Najib made such choice), he played golf with (US president Barack) Obama when flood hit us," Lim ( photo ) said.

"We want him to explain what is so important for Najib to travel abroad then," he asked.

"Najib must know now that he can't run away from the dialogue, dubbed 'Nothing to Hide', but cannot run away from the country, which strike by disaster," Lim said.

He urged Sabahans to reconsider if they still want to support BN blindly, or to choose a government, which carries the principle of 'people first'.

Najib to return from Saudi Arabia today

Najib left for Saudi Arabia for an official visit on Saturday and is due to return today.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad quipped that Najib “ may be too busy to visit Sabah” for the rather disastrous Ranau/Kinabalu earthquake.

"He must be very busy (to visit Sabah), the prime minister has many things to attend to," Mahathir said during his visit to Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

Mahathir said this when asked to comment why Najib didn't visit Sabah after the earthquake and instead continued with his trip to Saudi Arabia.

Najib has come under criticism for not taking charge of the rescue operations in Sabah, with DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang suggesting that Najib should have flown straight there in the government’s VIP jet.

The earthquake has since claimed 18 lives and Najib's absence has also drawn scorn on the social media.