inp.polri.go.id - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak praised the steps taken by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in his visit to three East Asian Countries and meet President Xi Jinping. Razak considers Jokowi's move as a form of exemplary diplomacy.
As reported by the South China Morning Post, Najib in a Facebook post said Indonesia is progressing economically, given their leaders have taken "proactive steps" regarding trade and investment. The statement refers to Jokowi's visits to China, Japan and South Korea this week.
Najib also said that under his leadership, Malaysia was able to resolve the crisis with several world leaders. He also claims local companies have even asked for his help to facilitate foreign investment.
Even so, Najib regretted the accusations of the Pakatan Harapan coalition which considered him to be 'selling' Malaysia. "Pakatan Harapan said I sold the country. I was also criticized for bringing in investors from abroad. I should have strengthened the foreign economy instead of bringing investment to our society," Najib said.
In addition, Najib accused the Pakatan Harapan government of destroying the good relations he had made with foreign governments.
According to political analyst Oh Ei Sun, Najib's sharp remarks were aimed at strengthening his stronghold's position in the government. Najib is not only targeting the Pakatan Harapan alliance, but also the current government.
As reported by Britannica, Najib served as the prime minister of Malaysia from 2009 to 2018.
Najib himself was involved in cases of abuse of power, money laundering and breach of trust. As a result of the case, Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison and must pay a fine of US$50 million (Rp742 billion) in July 2021.
The Diplomat reported Najib received a fortune worth 42 million ringgit (Rp140 billion) from SRC International, formerly a unit of 1MDB.
1MDB itself is a Malaysian state investment program that is monitored directly by Najib. In 2015, reports found that around US$700 million (Rp10 trillion) in funds went into Najib's pockets. 1MDB and Najib denied any wrongdoing, but the case was later investigated as a corruption case.
