GE14 | Najib Abdul Razak today described Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the nation’s “No. 1 actor” and said he is eligible for the “Best Actor” Academy Award for his pretence.

The caretaker prime minister said this was evident because Mahathir had, at one time, vehemently criticised PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and linked him to sexual misconduct but was making up now in the pursuit of his personal goals.

“… lately, he went to the courtroom (during a hearing) to meet Anwar. I had to shake my head in disbelief seeing his (Mahathir’s) antics. We cannot accept such people.

“We must have a stand. In politics, it does not matter whether we win or lose, but we must have dignity. He can resort to all that, but I cannot,” Najib said at the ground-breaking for the extension building of the Jerantut Hospital and the launch of the Jerantut Barisan Nasional election machinery in Jerantut.

More than 2,000 people, comprising also the Umno election machinery and staff of the district health office, were present at the event which was also attended by caretaker Pahang menteri besar Adnan Yaakob, Jerantut Umno division chief Ahmad Nazlan Idris and Jerantut Umno division deputy chief Wan Amizan Wan Abdul Razak.

Najib said Mahathir was merely a puppet of the DAP to divide the Malays so as to realise the objective of that political party to topple the government.

“DAP wants to show that it is good to the Malays,” he said, adding that this was just a ploy to hoodwink them.

The caretaker prime minister said he wanted to know whether the DAP liked Muslims and whether it wanted to help develop the rural areas, like what the Umno-led BN was doing.

“It is different with the MCA, MIC and Gerakan which are sincere in helping the people. That’s why our country is progressing, is peaceful and is becoming a great nation, so much so that we see many huge transformations taking place,” he said.

Najib also said that Jerantut would get its first urban transformation centre (UTC) that had been requested by the people there as stated by Ahmad Nazlan in his speech earlier.

The extension building of the Jerantut Hospital will comprise a new block with the capacity for 30 beds, an emergency and trauma department, an outpatient department and a specialist clinic.

The hospital, which now has 77 beds, started operations in 1977 and was officially opened in 1979.

Najib also announced the construction of a health clinic in Kg Padang Piol and the upgrading of three clinics, in Kampung Labu, Kuala Tahan and Sungai Tekam Utara.

- Bernama