Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has roped in former premier Najib Abdul Razak to defend his remark in the Dewan Rakyat earlier which incensed Kelantan lawmakers.

The MPs had demanded that Lim retract his statement that the Kelantan government failed to pay the salaries of its civil servants.

Speaking to reporters later, the minister said Najib had also raised the issue on the grounds that the state government would not be able to pay the salaries without financial injection from Putrajaya.

“So that is the fact. I do not wish to state more than that... This has happened from the time of Najib. Recently, I approved an allocation for Kelantan,” he added.

Read more: Guan Eng's 'no salaries' remark riles up Kelantan MPs

Lim also furnished a news article dated Jan 28, which quoted Najib as stating that if not for Putrajaya's assistance, the PAS-led Kelantan government would find it difficult to pay its civil servants.

The minister had touched on the matter this morning when Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS-Kota Baru) asked if states affected by the suspension of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) could fund the project themselves.

However, Lim said he was not confident that Kelantan would be able to raise funds for the project because “it could not even pay salaries.”

Takiyuddin then demanded the minister to back his statement with proof and accused the latter of misleading the House.