KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak wants the feud between Datuk Seri Nazri Abd Aziz and Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BBC) chairman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing to stop. “Arguments within any group of the Barisan Nasional is an unhealthy development,” the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters yesterday after opening the International Conference on “Meeting of Minds: Developing the Malaysia Master Brand.”

“We must make the effort to resolve the situation so we can focus on our responsibility in Parliament, which is to debate on issues of interest to the people and how we can use our role as Members of Parliament and Government to continually defend them,” Najib added.

The feud between Nazri, Minister-in-Charge of Parliament Affairs, and Tiong gained momentum when Nazri on Friday said he expected the BBC to recommend to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to sack him (Nazri) as a minister.

“If they dare not do that on Monday (tomorrow), then shut up and don’t talk anymore,” he had said.
 

Datuk Seri Nazri

This was in response to Tiong’s statement that the BBC was upset with Nazri who had called the club members childish and gangster-like, after they removed a barricade to prevent reporters from moving freely in the Parliament lobby on Tuesday.

Datuk Seri Tiong

Tiong had also said that the BBC would hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue and decide on the next course of action as they felt Nazri had gone overboard.

Asked whether he, as Barisan whip, would issue a directive for the matter to be resolved, Najib said:“It is okay. I will whisper.”

In Kuantan, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib described the feud between Nazri and Tiong as ”a storm in a tea cup.”

Muhammad said that the tiff arose because ”the press wanted more freedom in going about their work and Parliament wants a certain form of decorum.

“For all you know, both of them will be having tea at the cafeteria on Monday (tomorrow),” he added.