Malaysians should thank former premier Najib Abdul Razak for posting a photograph showing him addressing row after row of empty seats in the Dewan Rakyat, according to Lim Kit Siang.

Describing it as a “rare sight indeed”, the DAP veteran said: “There could not be a more eloquent photograph of how low Najib had fallen from the mighty position of the prime minister of the country and how irrelevant he is now to Malaysians...”

Lim's sarcastic salvo also took a divine twist, which he noted was in line with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's narrative that the earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Indonesia, were the result of God's wrath over LGBT activities.

“Is it divinely ordained that Najib should speak to an empty chamber in Parliament to underline how low he has fallen and how irrelevant he has become to Malaysians?

“Maybe Zahid is right, there is divine intervention to send out the clear and unmistakable signal that the time for any explanation by Najib in Parliament on the international 1MDB corruption and money-laundering scandal is long past, and the place for Najib to make his defence on the 1MDB scandal is no more in Parliament but in the court of law,” he added in a statement.

Yesterday, Najib uploaded the photograph on his Facebook page and noted how ministers and deputy ministers had “disappeared” from the House.

“When I write on FB (Facebook), there are those who tell me to bring (the issue) to Parliament. When I bring it to Parliament, many ministers and deputy ministers disappear.

“Perhaps, many ministers had early lunch appointments. Perhaps, one or two had to rest in the afternoon because of being unable to sleep at night,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lim said at the time Najib was speaking, there were several meetings taking place in Parliament, including one involving the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and two ministerial briefings on forthcoming parliamentary business.

The veteran politician also accused Najib of reducing Parliament to an abject status during his tenure as prime minister.

“MPs could not ask questions or debate the 1MDB scandal although it had continued to dominate international news headlines, and MPs were disciplined for wanting to get to the root of the 1MDB scandal.

“I was myself twice suspended from Parliament for six months each, and during the last week of the 13th Parliament, I was treated like a 'parliamentary ghost' with the speaker and deputy speakers claiming that they could not see me when I entered the parliamentary chamber,” he added.

Furthermore, Lim asked if Najib had provided any credible, satisfactory and acceptable explanation for the 1MDB scandal in Parliament yesterday.

“Najib had not even answered the '10 questions on 1MDB for dummies' which I drafted on June 3, 2015 meant for cabinet ministers but these 10 dummy questions have still to be answered, even by Najib despite his parliamentary appearance yesterday,” he added.