PRIME Minister Najib Razak made it personal when he terminated former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Special Action Unit (UTK) service, say Malaysians on Facebook and Twitter.

Calling it a ‘shameful act’ by Putrajaya, social media users say should anything happen to Dr Mahathir now, Najib will simply blame others.

They, however, pointed out that even without the UTK bodyguard, Dr Mahathir would still remain safe as no right-minded Malaysian will want to harm the 92-year-old Pakatan Harapan chairman.

They were commenting on Putrajaya’s decision yesterday to withdraw the the personal bodyguard of Dr Mahathir, a privilege given to all former prime ministers.

This move came about a year after Putrajaya ended the contracts of Dr Mahathir’s cook and office assistant.

Facebook users Denzel Loo and Kent Lee said that if anything happens to Mahathir, Najib will push the blame to someone else.

“And later, if anything happens to Tdm (Tun Dr Mahathir) he will say (it’s) not his fault.

“Like I said before, desperate people do desperate things. What else can’t they do to save themselves? Better you die than I die motto,” Loo commented.

“God bless Tun M, although no one will think of hurting Tun, if anything happens to him, Najib will just brush it off,” Lee commented.

Other Facebook users like Dah Ahmadshah questioned the reason behind withdrawing the UTK bodyguard.

“What reason was given to withdraw Dr Mahathir’s bodyguard ? Who ordered it and on what authority and basis ? The country has every right to know. This is a shameful act.

“This is an act that embarrasses the nation, he must give back Dr Mahathir’s bodyguards. Show the former prime minister some respect. Salute the Tun as he will remember who did this to the nation. This is not good and unfair,” Dah Ahmadshah said.

Dr Mahathir is leading the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and is calling for the ouster of Najib, whom he accuses of being a thief.

The former prime minister has held gatherings nationwide, speaking to rural and urban folk, on the need to get rid of the “corrupt Najib administration” in the coming general elections.

Facebook users said Dr Mahathir’s onslaught against Najib has made the prime minister “scared” and that is why he withdrew the bodyguard service.

“It’s ok. No right-minded person will want to harm Tun, in fact the Rakyat will be Tun’s protector. Najib’s end is near, that’s why everything he does, he shoots his own foot,” Tan Seng Keat commented.

“They show so much fear for Tun,” commented Ben Chiew.

Twitter users like Iqra’  (@tweetajala) and Hilmi Adi Ruzaini (@HilmiAdi) said Najib displayed a clear case of bad faith with the elections drawing closer, describing this move as “petty”.

“Withdrawing Tun’s bodyguard is a clear case of bad faith,” Iqra’ tweeted.

“What unprofessionalism shown by the police and government. Goodness. He’s (a) 92y/o ex-PM, give him that,” Hilmi tweeted.

“I MAY not always agree with Mahathir but this is really petty,” tweeted Republic of Sarawak (@swakheadhunter)

Dr Mahathir shared the news to his two million followers through his official Facebook page yesterday afternoon.

“Today, the services of UTK were withdrawn. The struggle continues,”  Dr Mahathir had said.

The post has garnered more than 8,000 likes and has been shared more than 400 times. – November 2, 2017.