PM praises Pak Lah for his contributions to country

JOHOR BARU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak praised his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ah­­mad Badawi for his contributions to the Iskandar Malaysia economic corridor and his conduct after retiring.

Najib said the Iskandar Malaysia development idea was hatched by Abdullah, affectionately known as “Pak Lah,” who was the then prime minister.

“Where credit is due, credit should be given. I am continuing the idea that was sparked by Pak Lah.

“Today, we express our utmost appreciation to him, but above all, Pak Lah has shown how a former prime minister should behave.

“Thank you, Pak Lah. There is a hidden message there,” he said during Iskandar Malaysia’s 10th anniversary celebration yesterday.

Later at a press conference, Najib said that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s allegation that 700,000 Chinese nationals in the Forest City project would be given citizenship was baseless and untrue.

“The Mentri Besar has responded to this issue. We should not scare people by making such allegations,” he said, adding that the Forest City project had huge potential.

On Saturday, during a Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia event in Pasir Gudang, Dr Mahathir claimed that some 700,000 foreigners were coming to Malaysia due to developments that were taking place, including in the Forest City project.

Dr Mahathir alleged that these foreigners would be given MyKad to vote in the coming 14th general election.