Alleging that all the people who joined Najib at the lunch had also received some other form of incentive, the former prime minister claimed that it was the only way to guarantee such a large turnout at the event, organised by the Permatang Pauh Umno division.
“Najib supposedly struggles for Islam, but sitting cross-legged to eat (with the people) is what his actual struggle is.
“I think no one would eat with him if not for some other incentive,” the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman said at a rally in Kepala Batas near here last night, adding that some form of payment may have been given as well.
Mahathir, who is also PPBM chairman, was referring to the attempt by Permatang Pauh Umno to enter the Malaysia Book of Records as having the “highest number of people gathered to eat a meal while sitting cross-legged on the ground”.
The event was held at the Politeknik Seberang Perai, in mainlang Penang, with the stop being one of many for Najib during his tour of the country’s northern states. He also visited Langkawi, Kedah.
Meanwhile, Mahathir promised to “restore Malaysia’s glory” if Pakatan Harapan was given the mandate to replace the Barisan Nasional (BN) in governing the country at the next polls.
Mahathir said that if a government under PH was set up, it would be managed “with authority” as his own administration had done from 1981 to 2003.
“I promise this, as long as I am around, when we form the new government we will restore the country’s glory as it was before the governments of Najib Razak and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,” he told the 3,000-strong crowd in Kepala Batas, who attended the 3M-Mahathir-Muhyiddin-Mukhriz ceramah.
He also denied he was a dictator as he had willingly stepped down as prime minister.
On Thursday, Najib, who is also Umno president, recalled the labels “great Pharaoh” (maha firaun) and “great evil” (maha zalim) used previously by the opposition on Mahathir to criticise the former PM’s alleged dictatorial style.
Mahathir, who has heavily criticised Najib’s leadership over the past two years, quit Umno last year to form PPBM in a bid to topple the prime minister.