Shahidan offers to mediate for Tun M and PM Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said infighting in Umno is unnecessary as neither side will emerge victorious.
Offering himself as mediator between former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, Shahidan said the public spat must not be allowed to continue and more energy should be devoted to governance.
"It is unnecessary to fight publicly in the media. It will only aggravate the situation, the country right now needs to focus on helping flood victims and focus on nation building.
"I will meet with Tun (Mahathir) as soon as possible. We should direct more efforts to address the country's problems following recent global developments," he told reporters after having lunch with members of the Youth Parliament at the Parliament building today.
Shahidan added that he hopes he can help resolve the tiff and that he will be "very sad" if it prolongs.
Mahathir, who is still regarded as a powerful figure within Umno, had been increasingly critical of Najib's administration since mid-2014 and the prime minister's supporters had taken to the media to defend him.
Meanwhile, Shahidan said the government is absolutely against illegal logging and land-clearing and suggested that the orang asli living in the jungle be employed as rangers to curb such activities.
"Maybe we can utilise the orang asli living in the areas by hiring them or appointing them as volunteer rangers," he said.
He added that the government's priority right now is to assist flood victims as much as possible and also to help businesses affected by the flood to resume normal operations.