The Umno president said the issue had been inflamed by the opposition to cast him in a negative light because they were feeling politically “nervous”.
“Where did we give (the money)? … This is all nonsense,” he said, adding that he could not comment further as the defamation case surrounding the allegation was to be heard by the courts in the UK.
Addressing a gathering of some 3,000 Umno cyber-troopers at the party’s social media convention in Putra World Trade Centre here today, Najib, who is Umno president, claimed the opposition had fanned “fake news” to sully his image, and stressed on the need for this to be corrected.
Najib also said the opposition’s social media “army” was willing to make allegations without checking the real facts first.
“They hurl wild allegations in the hope that two or three of the allegations will stick because there is no need to demonstrate truth on social media. It is enough that they create the perception,” he said.
It was reported on Oct 30 that Sarawak Report (SR) editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown had claimed in her defence statement to a lawsuit filed in London by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, that she and former Malaysia Bar chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan spoke about Najib, 1MDB and PAS in July 2016.
“Ambiga told the defendant that her sources, whom she said were reliable, had estimated the amount that had been paid was around RM90 million,” said Clare in her affidavit dated Oct 11.
Clare’s defence was made in response to Hadi’s defamation suit against her filed in April this year.
Hadi claimed he had been defamed in an SR article published on Aug 6, 2016. The article “reckoned” that money was given to woo PAS to support Barisan Nasional.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Umno cyber-troopers’ failure to fend off alleged aspersions made on Najib, including that about the RM90 million payment to PAS, had somewhat damaged the party’s image.
The acting Umno deputy president said cyber-troopers should learn how to deflect allegations hurdled by the opposition before it reached a critical level.
He said society’s perception towards Umno had been affected by the allegation about the payment.
“It should have been tackled when the issue first arose, and not when the case was already brought to court… The impact of the perception has been very damaging,” he said.
Clare: Hadi, Najib colluding to exploit London case proceedings