THE word kleptocracy was unknown to most Malaysians before July 6.

But when Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his new found allies in Pakatan Harapan explained it and how it could apply to the scandal surrounding state investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), people began attending the “Love Malaysia, End Kleptocracy” roadshow in droves.

The roadshow kicked off in the small town of Penaga in Kepala Batas, Penang, on July 6 – an Umno-controlled seat.

Since then, PH spent the next three months explaining to kampung and urban folk how the country’s ruling class allegedly stole from 1MDB to purchase luxury assets, like real estate, paintings and jewellery.

The Malaysian Insight visited Penaga yesterday and spoke to voters who were there on the first night.

They said they were taken aback when DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua explained the controversy using slides and charts.

Many were stunned at the scale of the alleged theft and the extravagance in the purchases made using 1MDB funds.  

And those approached yesterday admitted they now had a better understanding of the scandal.

“I didn’t understand a thing about 1MDB or what ‘kleptocracy’ meant before this. Everything sounded foreign.

“They were all talking about so much money being involved, billions. Regular folk like me cannot imagine that sort of money,” said Siti Haida Othman, a housewife.

Ceramah made scandal easier to understand

Siti Haida, 43, said the ceramah had a huge impact on many in the audience, especially if they were interested in politics, like herself.

“Many of the people that night were regular kampung folk, who did odd jobs in the village, and fishermen.

“The slides that showed how the cash went from one place to another and finally into the pockets of certain people made everything easier to understand. I learnt a lot.

“At least from the presentation, you can tell that Pua did his research to present the information. He had things to show, not just talk. So it was convincing,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Siti Haida went on to attend “three or four more” ceramah on the topic to learn more. She is even going for the mega rally in Padang Timur, Petaling Jaya, today, to mark the end of the three-month kleptocracy roadshow.

She said she shared what she learnt at the ceramah with her family members, who are largely Umno supporters.

“After knowing what is happening, I felt angry. People who don’t know would feel no anger.

“So I told my family members about the scandal and why we all have to pay the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and face rising cost of living.

“But my elder brother thinks GST is good. He thinks the present government is raising money to pay off debts by the former administrations,” she said.

She said her family, including her in-laws in a Felda settlement, were not exposed to the alternative media or were Internet savvy. They got their news from the mainstream media like TV1, TV2 and TV3 that only informed them of what the government was doing.

“That is why going to ceramah is so important to get information,” Siti Haida said.

She added that more people were getting better informed of the issues that plagued the country, but some were afraid to voice their anger openly.

“When I chat with people, like teachers, they are aware of what is going on and are angry but they fear speaking out. I don’t know if they will express their unhappiness through their votes,” she said.

Generated interest and awareness in 1MDB scandal

Nibong Tebal resident Suhana Saad, 42, echoed Siti Haida’s views. 

Not only did she think Pua’s slide presentations were successful in explaining the issue to people, she also took photos of them to share with her friends.

“I became more interested in the issues since I attended the Penaga ceramah. When I saw posters on Facebook advertising the next ceramah in Penang, I made a point to go.

“I went to the ones in Sungai Acheh near my area, Balik Pulau on the island; and Kulim. Last month I went to one in Kuala Lumpur after a friend invited me. I am also going to the rally in PJ tomorrow (today),” said the housewife.

Penang government information officer Zaidi Ahmad, who was among the crowd in the Penaga ceramah, said people were becoming more aware of the 1MDB issue.

“The public now realise something is not right… that government leaders have not been giving them the true picture,” he said.

Zaidi, a former Air Force major, spoke at a anti-kleptocracy ceramah in Sungai Dua, Tasek Gelugor in August. He said he knew from experience that BN leaders would not give the people full answers on 1MDB.

He said he was recently challenged by Umno supporters to attend an Umno event and asked for explanations on the 1MDB controversy.

“I answered the challenge and went to two Umno dialogues in Penang last week and asked (Umno information chief) Annuar Musa to explain. 

“If you study his answers at the dialogue, he never really replied. He never truly addressed the question why the US Department of Justice filed civil suits to retrieve assets bought using money allegedly taken from 1MDB,” he said.

Ceramah crowds grew

Penang Bersatu information chief Yaakob Osman, who spoke at Penaga, said he noticed a “genuine interest” among Malays in the kampung areas to learn more about 1MDB and the “kleptocratic government”.

He said this was reflected in the growing crowds at the various anti-kleptocracy ceramah since Penaga. 

“When we had the ceramah in Umno-held Sungai Acheh, we almost hit a crowd of 1,000. When the roadshow reached Perak, Malacca and Selangor, the crowds grew larger.

“People genuinely want to learn more about the scandal. Many can relate to the current economic hardship like the rising cost of living to 1MDB and how the government was running the country,” he said.

Yaakob said the talk on the ground when people gathered at the ceramah in different states was the need for change.

“That is what I hear when I mingle with the crowds. They put high hopes on PH to change the way things are and to drive this country forward. 

“They are also looking back to (PH chairman and former prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad,” he added.

PH is targeting to get 100,000 people at the rally in Petaling Jaya today that starts at 4pm and slated to end at midnight. – October 14, 2017.