1MALAYSIA Development Berhad (1MDB) chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy was roasted last night when he tried to explain the issues surrounding the company in the suburb of Bangsar.

The more than 200 Lembah Pantai voters heckled and jeered Arul Kanda in the two-hour session held in a makeshift tent in Lucky Garden.

As soon as Arul Kanda started speaking, the crowd booed him, as they wanted him to go straight to the question-and-answer session.

“Tough crowd man, tough crowd. This crowd is difficult to please,” he said, adding that he wanted to “correct misinformation” surrounding the company.

Arul Kanda went on to explain for about half an hour about the the financial scandal surrounding the company before proceeding to take questions.

“What I’m not here to do is defend anyone. Not for Najib and or Low Taek Jho. I’m here as a spokesman for 1MDB,” he said referring to caretaker prime minister Najib Razak and the Penang-born businessman at the centre of the scandal.

The dozen of questions posed by the Bangsar folk were hard-hitting and among the things they asked was what happened to the money that was paid to IPIC, why were there not accountability markers placed in 1MDB and how had the government repaid its debts.

When Arul Kanda started answering, he kept on saying that he needs to explain the whole process, which the crowd retaliated by telling him “go straight to the point”.

The event was organised by Barisan Nasional’s Lembah Pantai candidate and had a group of elderly Indian people wearing the coalition’s T-shirts and caps.

One of the comical questions posed to Arul Kanda in Tamil was if the supporters had any clue what he was talking about and if they were paid to attend.

An argument between the individual who asked the question and what appeared to be a MIC member broke out. The 20-people group was ushered out soon after.

After a tough line of questioning, including from a man who wanted to give Arul Kanda professional financial advice for free, the 1MDB man lost his cool.

He began to raise his voice and the audience asked him instead “why are you getting angry?”

Arul Kanda said “this is not anger, it is passion” to even more boos from the crowd.

He clarified that he was not paid by BN to give talks clearing 1MDB’s name but he was doing it on his own accord, as the opposition went on the offensive this year.

“I actually started doing this sessions as a company initiative. No other CEO in Malaysia has done what I have done.

“At the very least you should give me credit for that. I’m not here to defend anybody. I’ve given you both sides of the story,” he said to even more jeers from the crowd.

After the event, Arul Kanda said at a press conference that he has been so far to 30 sessions around the country.

He said the crowd was the toughest he had seen and claimed to be “personally attacked”.

“It was a difficult crowd but I could answer most questions. I was personally criticised and personally attacked. They were mainly opposition supporters.”

The 1MDB CEO continues his tour tomorrow in the Klang Valley where he will be going to the low-cost flats in Desa Mentari, Subang. – May 8, 2018.