KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he never called for a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on the night of May 9 when it became evident that Barisan Nasional (BN) had lost the 14th general election (GE14).
He said those who doubted him could ask “all the (NSC) members”.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, Najib - who is also former Umno president, said:
"I am a democrat. I believe in the will of the people. They accused me of calling for an NSC meeting but there was no such meeting."
Najib also said that he had no “Plan B" and that he did not want the country to be in a state of emergency.
"I don't want any bloodshed. That is a complete no-no as far as I was concerned," he was quoted as saying by the newsportal.
Najib claimed he knew that Pakatan Harapan “would have no choice politically but to persecute him” if they formed the government.
However, he also maintained that he was confident that he did not commit any wrongdoings and was willing to face his accusers and clear his name.
Responding to a question, Najib also shared how he felt when the election results rolled in.
"I think we were just in a state of shock and everybody was traumatised.
"But we gathered our thoughts and we decided we have to accept the will of the people and just move on," he said.
On the reported telephone conversation he had with Pakatan Harapan de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the night of May 9, Najib said it was just a private conversation.
"In a way, he (Anwar) has a sense of gratitude because I treated him well when he was serving his sentence.
"Towards the end, when he was under treatment, I allowed him to stay in a special rehab which was very comfortable.
“It was in that context that we exchanged our views of the election but there was nothing definite. I think that conversation should be best left on a private basis," he told Malaysiakini.
Responding to another question, Najib also explained the reason for not delivering a speech on the election night, choosing instead to do so the next morning.
"(I did not give the speech on the night of May 9 because) I mean, you have to give me time to recover.
"It is not easy to meet the press the same night, for I had to gather my thoughts and get the final results," he said.
When Malaysiakini pointed out his statement that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would decide as no party garnered a majority did not sound like a concession speech, Najib said he was technically correct.
"The next day, the speech was a technically correct speech.
"I had a sense that the Agong will decide in the best interest for the country, which he did; he allowed Harapan to form the government.
"That is fine with us. It is the right of the Agong to decide, under the constitution," he said.
Asked if anyone advised that he should not concede defeat, Najib said there was no such thing and he would not have heeded such calls.