PAKATAN Harapan today urged 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy to answer questions about the debt-ridden investment fund in Parliament tomorrow, after the CEO attended a roundtable discussion with PAS last night. 

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Ibrahim said the explanation from Arul was needed in order to clear Malaysia’s good name. 

“He can ask for permission from the prime minister first, but I urge Arul Kanda to provide an explanation to every member of parliament without fear. 

“PKR, DAP and Pakatan Harapan are willing to meet him even if it is to be a closed-door (meeting),” she said in a press conference at the media room in Parliament.

Meanwhile, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli said he doubted if PAS fully understood the 1MDB rationalisation plan if the party had found the plan satisfactory.

“As PAS appears to be satisfied with the plan, I wish to ask the party leadership if that means that they agree that 1MDB’s debts should be transferred to the people while the money borrowed by 1MDB has clearly vanished and has been misappropriated to buy luxury property?” he said.

Rafizi urged PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man to “bring Arul Kanda to Parliament” so that Arul Kanda can answer questions that he has been “avoiding, especially from the opposition”.

PAS yesterday said it was satisfied with the 1MDB debt rationalisation plan presented by Arul Kanda in the roundtable discussion, from which PAS concluded that a Royal Commission of Inquiry into 1MDB followed by punitive action against the wrongdoers was the only way to restore public confidence in the government. 

DAP National publicity secretary Tony Pua, meanwhile, said he was disappointed that Arul Kanda had agreed to talk with PAS but refused to meet others for a dialogue or debate on 1MDB.

“For me and other Pakatan leaders, including Muhyiddin and Dr Mahathir, we have many questions, such as the payment to Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC). The deadline was five days ago but until today there is no news about how the payment will be made. Will the government save 1MDB again?,” he said, referring to Bersatu leaders, Muhyiddin Yassin and Dr Mahathir Mohamad. 

Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) lawmaker Khalid Samad also questioned if PAS understood the rationalisation plan outlined for 1MDB. 

“I’m not sure if they understand that the debt rationalisation plan is fundamentally passing the buck to the government and through that to the people. 

“If PAS is happy with that then what that means is that they accept that excesses of individuals can be passed to the rakyat to bear,” he said in a text message to The Malaysian Insight. 

On August 1, 1MDB said all payments due to IPIC would be made from the proceeds of the 1MDB rationalisation plan. 

1MDB had, in April, reached an agreement to pay IPIC US$1.2 billion in two instalments by the end of the year.

As part of the agreement, 1MDB and the Finance Ministry will assume responsibility for all future interest and principal payments under two bonds, worth US$3.5 billion in total.

The agreement was reached after 1MDB defaulted on its bonds last year, sparking a dispute with IPIC, which asked a London court to arbitrate a claim totalling US$6.5 billion. – August 8, 2017.