Prime Minister Najib Razak admitted he was grilled by his British counterpart David Cameron on the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally for free and fair elections, but based on the information he reportedly gave, it looks like the Malaysian leader told a pack of lies.
"Everything that Najib said is twisted to suit himself and the BN. Even now, he insists that elections in this country are clean and fair. This itself is the biggest lie," PAS MP for Kuala Krai Hatta Ramli told Malaysia Chronicle.
Allows dissent but deports Bourdon
According to national news agency, Bernama, Najib explained to Cameron the real intention behind the "illegal rally" during his four-day official visit to the United Kingdom last week.
During his meeting at 10, Downing Street, Cameron had asked Najib many questions.
"I had told the British prime minister that we have room for dissent in Malaysia," said Najib, when sharing his UK experience with some 3,000 people who greeted him at the KL International Airport on his earlier-than-expected return after visiting Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Najib had cut short his holiday with his family and it is believed he did so to block French lawyer William Bourdon from spilling the beans on the Scorpenes submarines case and the Altantuya murder, in which has the PM has been accused of involvement.
Despite Najib's assurance to Cameron that Malaysia had room for dissent, several hours later, at the same airport, Bourdon was detained and will be deported at 11.30 pm Friday night.
No reasons have been given by the authorities but Bourdon was due to reveal details at a talk on Friday night about a VIP involved in the Scorpenes deal, which could also implicate Najib in the related Altantuya murder case. Najib had been the defense minister sanctioning the acquisition.
Bersih provoked police, elections have always been clean
According to him, he told Cameron that as the government, the question of public order must be protected while ensuring sufficient space for the people to express their dissatisfaction.
"I told him that we had offered a stadium but they had rejected. They wanted the Merdeka Stadium because their intention was merely to hold the procession," said Najib.
"Later they provoked the police. Make the police angry. When the police took action, they took photographs and posted them on the YouTube and they said it was police brutality."
Najib also told Cameron that the rally by the "unregistered body" was actually not to demand for electoral reforms.
"They were more keen to show that the Malaysian government is like that of the Middle East. They depicted the Malaysian government as autocratic. Actually, they want to wrest power from us who were chosen by the people," said the Malaysian PM.
He said the British prime minister was also assured that the Malaysian government had always upheld the principles of democracy.
"I said that we had never cheated in the general election in Malaysia. Elections in Malaysia have always been a clean election," added Najib.
