FORMER prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has pointed his fingers at the two administrations that came after him for the nation’s debt reaching RM1.03 trillion.

       The Pekan MP said the nation’s debts had risen by RM320mil since 2018 after his leadership was toppled and Pakatan Harapan came to power, followed by Perikatan Nasional in 2020.

       “The debt was reduced for eight years in a row under Barisan Nasional,” he said, referring to his administration.

       “The debt drastically rose by 46% or RM320mil from RM687bil at the end of 2017 to RM1.03 trillion today,” Najib said when debating the motion of thanks on the royal address in Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

       Najib also said the nation’s assets and reserves had dwindled since 2018 while the debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 63%.

       He accused Pakatan and Perikatan of “digging” into national retirement funds, including assets and reserves belonging to government-owned entities such as Petronas and Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

       Najib, who is embroiled in the 1MDB scandal, accused both the administrations of not repaying the sovereign fund’s RM320bil debt since 2018.

       He also clarified that repayment of the 1MDB’s debt did not involve the use of the rakyat’s money.

       “It is not right to declare that the rakyat must repay or shoulder the debt of 1MDB. For example, the RM16.4bil received from Goldman Sachs is not the rakyat’s money.

       “It is Goldman Sachs’ money which can be used to repay 1MDB’s debt,” Najib said.

       This caused an uproar in the House with several opposition MPs reminding Najib of his conviction and the recent revelations by former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner in a corruption trial in the US.

       Najib was interrupted several times during his debate by Opposition MPs.

       Among them was RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong), who accused the former premier of misleading the House by blaming Pakatan and Perikatan for the rise in the nation’s debt.

       Rayer was later ejected from the House for his antics.

       Datuk Ramli Mohd Noor (BN-Cameron Highlands), who had been invited to chair the proceedings, had warned Rayer earlier that he would be censured if he continued to disrupt proceedings.

       “I am suspending you for a day,” he said.

       Ramli also allowed Najib extra time for his debate owing to the earlier interruptions.

       The Pekan MP managed to touch briefly on several other points before ending his debate.