Najib Called Anwar Twice For Advice After His Defeat During GE14
"After the second call he was totally shattered."
By Tamara Jayne — 18 May 2018, 01:36 PM
Former Prime Minister Datuk Najib Razak was "totally shattered" after losing GE14 and called jailed rival Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim twice that night for advice on what he should do, Anwar said yesterday, 17 May
Anwar Ibrahim spoke to Reuters during an interview at his house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia May 17, 2018.
Image via REUTERS/StringerIt was a shocking loss to Najib when they lost this year's election, as Barisan National had been ruling Malaysia for six decades.
Anwar, who was pardoned and released from his five-year jail term for sodomy on Wednesday, told Reuters in an interview that he had received two calls from Najib that night.
"When he called on the night of the election, I advised him as a friend to concede and move on," Anwar said.
He then told Najib to come out with a statement quickly rather than to delay and be perceived as trying to prevent or slow down the process, he explained during the interview at his home in Kuala Lumpur.
"He was just very evasive... he refused to concede early," Anwar added.
During a press conference the day after the election, Najib said that no party had won a simple majority and that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would decide on who would form the government.
During the call, Anwar said that Najib was trying to think of what he could do and who he could consult
Despite that, Anwar insisted that the former Prime Minister did not specifically approach him to make any deals to shift allegiance.
Last year, Najib had visited Anwar in hospital where he was recovering from a shoulder injury. Rumours spread that Najib had gone to make a side deal to join forces against current Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
"Even if he had referred to that (a deal) I would have just ignored... I was just listening to him," Anwar replied when asked if any suggestive deals were mentioned by the premier.
Anwar conveyed that Najib called him a second time that night and was "totally shattered"
According to Reuters, Najib could not be immediately reached for further comment on the matter.
Anwar also reminded supporters to not be vengeful towards Najib. "Do I believe there is enough grounds to charge Najib? I do believe... But it must follow due process, there must be a strong prima facie case," he said, according to Malaysiakini.
Anwar called on Pakatan Harapan supporters to allow the law to bring justice and not be blinded by anger towards the former Prime Minister.