Najib: Honour and dignity cannot be bought

PUTRAJAYA: Honour and dignity cannot be bought though there are those who make all kinds of promises, said Najib Tun Razak.

The prime minister said that even if a person had lost everything, people would still respect him or her because of the principle of loyalty.

“Maybe two or three may have gone astray to become opposition candidates, but the majority is with us. I know who are to be fielded [in the general election] on the other side. I know their background and I know why [they have opted to go across]. Actually, they have problems.  Everyone in Mindef [Ministry of Defence] knows,” he said in an apparent reference to several retired senior army officers who may be fielded as opposition candidates in the coming general election.

“The Westerners say you come to the office with honour and dignity and you leave the office with honour and dignity.

“Honour and dignity cannot be bought even if people promise all sorts of things. Respect accorded to us by the people cannot be bought; that is why we must have principles in our struggle, we must safeguard our honour,” he said when addressing a get-together of government retirees at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), here.

Chief Secretary to the Government Ali Hamsa, Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Mohamad Zabidi Zainal, Putrajaya Corporation president and president of the Senior Government Retirees Umno Club Aseh Che Mat were also present at the event.

More than 3,000 retirees, comprising those from the military, police, Prisons Department and Immigration Department from all over the country, attended the event. There are about 700,000 retirees in the country.

Najib said retirees, as experienced and knowledgeable individuals, would better understand that the future of the country could not be gambled away or experimented with.