KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Premier Najib Razak criticised the opposition for calling a by-election after one of its lawmakers quit, saying the poll will waste public money at a time of economic crisis.He also said the coalition may not contest in the polls as it would be a waste of money, according to the Sunday Star newspaper.
A senior member of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's party resigned Thursday following an investigation into alleged corruption.
Mohamad Fairus Khairuddin, who was the deputy chief minister in the northern state of Penang and a member of the state parliament, announced his resignation, saying his move will "allow me the space to clear my name". It will be the sixth by-election since March 2008 general elections.Najib's ruling Barisan Nasional, or National Front, coalition is expected to face an uphill task as it has lost four of the five by-elections.
Najib said a final decision on whether to contest or not would be made after a meeting between his dominant United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and among its coalition partners at the end of the month.
"No, we are not afraid of losing to them but it is a sheer waste of public funds," the Sunday Star cited him as saying.
Courtesy:Channelasianews.com
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