Najib says Bung Mokhtar’s Hitler remark was wrong and unacceptable
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (pic) has distanced himself and his administration from Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin's controversial tweet praising Adolf Hitler.
“The comments made by Datuk Bung Mokhtar are unacceptable and wrong, and he will withdraw them.
“He does not speak for Malaysia, or for ordinary Malaysians, who understand Europe’s tragic past, and respect its modern unity.
“This should be a time of celebration for Germany, and we wish them all the best in the final,” he said in a statement.
The 55-year-old Bung Mokhtar, who is the Kinabatangan MP, had congratulated Germany with a tweet saying "Well done ... Bravo ... Long Live Hitler" following the football team's victory over Brazil in the World Cup semi-final match yesterday.
His tweet was slammed by netizens, politicians and the German ambassador to Malaysia Holger Michael who had described it as "unacceptable".
Michael had said in a statement: "While we appreciate the admiration for the German football team, we strongly reject the unacceptable allusion to the fascist regime of Adolf Hitler".
This morning, Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming had said that Najib should demand Bung Mokhtar's resignation following his remark on Hitler.
"Despite the uproar caused by his tweet, Bung Mokhtar has refused to apologise for his actions," Ong had said in a statement.
"Instead, he tries to defend his actions by saying 'Hitler is part of history and the German team fought like how he did'," Ong had added.
Bung Mokhtar has never been far from controversy, attracting criticism from women's groups and rights activists over previous remarks, which among others, were slammed for being chauvinistic.
During a debate in Parliament over a leak in its roof 2007, Bung Mokhtar caused an uproar when he said: "Where is the leak? The Batu Gajah MP also leaks every month," referring to an opposition lawmaker's menstrual cycle. – July 10, 2014.
