YOURSAY ‘US President Barack Obama would have understood that.’
PM says tee off with Obama 'golf diplomacy'
Basically: Nice try, PM Najib Razak. He never does anything this big without a huge fanfare and media blitz.
He would have instantly boasted about his 'golf diplomacy' on his Facebook and Twitter and all his BN 'friends' would have blasted it in the Net.
Instead, he was caught with pants down by the foreign media. Now he is trying to make a pathetic excuse that his 'I Love PM' fan club has been making. I wonder if this is where he got the idea.
Sad, really. I thought a RM77 million PR (public relations) company (paid with our money) could do better than this.
NoBN4me: Golf diplomacy is acceptable. However, in times of crisis, golf takes the back seat. US President Barack Obama would have understood that.
Headhunter: No matter how he wants to spin it, the damage to his reputation as an uncaring PM is now registered in the minds of most Malaysians.
It's better for him to pull up his socks and get to work rather than trying to spin more tales.
Abasir: "Actually, during President Obama's visit to Malaysia, he had said that if coincidentally I were in Hawaii together with him (Obama), he would like to play golf with me (Najib)," said Najib.
So now we know that Our Supreme Leader meticulously scheduled a coincidence, come hell or high water.
What we don't know for now is whether there was any money involved, like the amount that was transacted when former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad sought and obtained an audience with his ‘war criminal’ friend, George W Bush.
Jiminy Qrikert: Right now, Najib is perceived as a PM who really cares more about his own personal pleasures than about the rakyat's suffering.
This flood is not the only suffering the rakyat is experiencing that shows Najib to be totally heartless. The rakyat have not forgotten the withdrawal of subsidies that have driven up the cost of living.
The rakyat knows that Najib's incompetence as a leader has resulted in Malaysia being in a financial mess with a weakening economy and weakening ringgit.
The floods are adding salt to festering wounds but the worst is yet to come. The rakyat will soon be hit with GST (Goods and Services Tax) and their suffering will increase even more.
In the case of Najib, the perception is reinforced by the truth. Soon, Najib will be as hated as TDM (Mahathir) and Najib will achieve this in half the time TDM took.
Katak Puru: Many are understandably angry when Najib was seen playing golf with Obama in Hawaii on Christmas Eve and he was not in flood areas in Malaysia's east coast or direct flood relief efforts.
However, we must be realistic and understand that the role of the PM is not to lead the flood relief operations or brave the flood waters to bring the victim to safety.
In fact, only last week, Najib visited flood victims at the evacuation centre in SMK Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. But even if he were in the flooded areas, there is not much he can do.
Louis: Kayak Puru, what nonsense are you talking? A PM of a country is like a captain of a ship.
Any responsible captain will not abandon his ship in distress and delegating his duty to the assistant. A captain does not bail out if the ship in sinking, but he must be there to take charge.
Similarly for Najib, he must be at home to take charge of the situation. No one expect him to wade through the water to save lives. You must be crazy thinking that we expect Najib to swim in flooded water to rescue victims.
So Obama invited Najib for a game of golf if the latter visited Hawaii. But Obama resides most of the time in Washington DC. It would be more logical if Obama invites Najib for a round of golf there.
Assuming the statement by Najib is true, the Malaysian PM must be very important to the extent that Obama had to fly 10 hours to Hawaii to entertain Najib. If that be the case, all Malaysians must be very proud of our PM.
But I am afraid that is not the case. In all probability, it is Najib who timed his visit to coincide with Obama's break in Hawaii.
Rupert16: A few questions for our PM:
1) Why can't your golf diplomacy be done after December when you jolly well know that December has always been a time of flooding in the east coast? You were born and raised in Pekan - so of all people you should be the one to know this fact more than others.
2) Did your father go on vacation using taxpayers' money considering that you were using the government-owned jet for your holiday in Hawaii?
Vijay47: Many commentators here have unfairly and cruelly criticised our prime minister during his deserved absence from the country during the floods that are ravaging the east coast but he has just demonstrated that he has a caring mind and a big heart almost as big as his wife, Rosmah Mansor.
He has just shown the entire world that Malaysia does not need to declare an emergency to care for the people. With his short golf break in Hawaii, Najib has returned rejuvenated and even more committed to looking after his people who he loves just like his children or stepson.
What matters is that the rakyat will understand and appreciate his concern for them. Even though most of them have never heard of insurance policies.
For his next act, Najib is thinking of doing away with the entire concept of declaring emergencies. If that is not the hallmark of a true leader, I don't know what is. Most others don't know either.
We need a PM, not an Obama groupie
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