YOURSAY | We are not nitwits, Anwar

YOURSAY | ‘A good and great leader doesn’t accept apologies from crooks and kleptocrats.’

'Father of nation' Anwar pans critics over Najib apology row

Falcon: Seriously, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the self-appointed “father of the nation”, is calling those who react to his comments imbecilic, which means very stupid or foolish; idiotic.

This, if I am correct, is a first for a sitting premier to hit out at those who hold him accountable.

It is a pity that you did not add to your usual high horse self-righteous mantra at former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak telling him to return the stolen money.

You went on record telling former leaders to return their stolen loot to the country.

You could have said - “As prime minister, I welcome the apology. But I ask that all monies stolen be returned to the nation, immediately!”

We understand you took the narrow route so as not to antagonise those Umno mercenaries and political hitmen waiting to score brownie points at any statements made against their former leader.

Hmmm: The problem with you Anwar is that you just don’t know when to talk and when to keep quiet.

If you needed to respond to Najib’s apology, you could have given a neutral statement like “It’s good that Najib has apologised, but we leave it to the courts or the people to decide on his apology” or “If he is really sincere, he should return all the money unlawfully obtained.”

We don’t just accept any apology from convicted criminals especially when it is very obvious that there is a big motive behind the apology.

We will wait and see if his bid for house arrest pans out with your acceptance of his apology.

There are so many issues in this country worth speaking out about but you choose to remain silent.

And yes, I agree that I am a nitwit for voting for your party at the last general election (and other elections) only to be told by the leader of that party that I am a nitwit.

Cogito Ergo Sum: If you are the “father of the nation” why are you insulting and hurting your children?

Your children got together and threw out Najib and got you out of prison. But you are an ingrate. You kick your starving children and insult them.

As a political leader, you don’t have to say anything that a convicted criminal says in jail. Will you also respond to all the convicted prisoners who say “I apologise for stealing?”

After all, you are the “father of the nation”, including big and small crooks.

BobbyO: Self-pride, elevating himself to “father of the nation” and yet never treating all the citizens as equal.

Did Najib accept the fact that he is the mastermind of the whole heist? Did Najib return any part of the stolen loot?

Billions are still stashed away overseas, while Malaysian taxpayers are still struggling to pay the interest and the capital.

The script was read by Najib’s son Nizar, and you can be assured it was written by his legal team.

This is not an apology but to repeatedly fool the Malaysian people who have been taken for a ride for far too long by their leaders.

9th of May: Excuse me, we are not nitwits!!! Lest you forget, we voted for the opposition because that kleptocrat stole millions from the nation.

A good and great leader doesn’t accept apologies from crooks and kleptocrats!

Don’t you dare call us nitwits! We voted you in and similarly, we can kick you out.

YellowFalcon7173: The correct thing to do as a leader is not to “welcome it” but rather, to tell Najib to take responsibility for what happened and not waste time and public funds by dragging out his case and defence.

He should just admit, work out details with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and serve his time like what former Singapore transport minister S Iswaran did.

There is nothing to “welcome” in Najib’s hollow apology, he still refuses to shoulder any responsibility but instead feigns ignorance.

Speaking sense: Yes, you can be gracious and welcome any apology, but a good leader would also tell the nation that criminals can be forgiven but must still pay for the consequences of their crimes.

This applies especially to someone who continues to deny his obvious guilt even up to today and continues to treat the people as fools who he thinks will believe all his cynical lies.

So, be gracious, but be a leader.

Otherwise, you will soon become like the very people we voted for you to get rid of.

BluePanther4725: An apology doesn’t mean that Najib is allowed to get off scot-free from his crimes and get a pardon or house arrest.

Najib has committed a serious crime and he has to serve his sentence in full just like other criminals.

There should be no special privileges or double standards for Najib. As the prime minister, Anwar must uphold justice and the rule of law.

MarioT: If an apology is given personally in good faith and accompanied by restitution and acceptance of guilt for committing a felony and thievery against the people, it is worth considering.

However, if it has no sincerity and merely escapes further punishment or seeks house arrest, then it should be discarded.

If you cannot distinguish the difference, then you are very short-sighted and lack analytical skills.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.