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https://scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2189165/najibs-charm-offensive-abuse-free-speech-malaysias-mahathirPolitics
Najib Razak’s charm offensive an ‘abuse of free speech’: Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad
- The Malaysian prime minister downplays a pact between Najib’s Umno party and the Islamist PAS
- He says a PR campaign by his disgraced predecessor, who is on bail awaiting trial, proves the difference between their administrations
A supporter takes a selfie with former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, who is on bail awaiting trial on corruption charges. Photo: EPA
A charm offensive by Najib Razak, Malaysia’s disgraced former prime minister who is out on bail awaiting trial on corruption charges, is an “abuse of free speech”, his successor Mahathir Mohamad has said.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the 93-year-old leader also downplayed the significance of a new pact between Najib’s Umno party – now in opposition after its defeat in last May’s general election – and the hardline Islamist outfit Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).