What’s Hisham’s motive, analysts ask over offer to hunt Jho Low

Updated 7 years ago · Published on 23 Oct 2018 8:25AM · 5 Comments

Former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein yesterday offered to use contacts with Beijing to find missing financier Jho Low. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, October 23, 2018.

TWO analysts have questioned Hishammuddin Hussein’s motive after the former defence minister offered to hunt down Low Taek Jho in China.

Hishammuddin’s move appears to be an attempt to curry favour with the Pakatan Harapan government and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, political scientist James Chin and Awang Azman of Universiti Malaya both said in the South China Morning Post today.

Hishammuddin said yesterday efforts to find Low, the businessman linked to the 1MDB scandal, would be made in his personal capacity, and not as a member of the Malaysian government.

He said: “I have to continue… I am not bound by any official request from anybody. This is personal.

“From back then, I have wanted to know the truth and the final resolution in the 1MDB case. It’s not a simple thing, he is truly complex.”

Chin of Tasmania University’s Asia Institute told SCMP “if you (Hishammuddin) wanted to catch this guy you would have done so a long time ago,” while also noting that China won’t give Jho Low up so easily if he is indeed hiding in the country.

Hishammuddin was a member of the former Barisan Nasional cabinet, headed by his cousin, Najib Razak.

The former prime minister is now facing 32 charges, of which 25 are related to a RM2.6 billion “donation” channelled into his bank accounts, and seven others related to RM42 million he received from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

Awang of UM’s Institute of Malay Studies also asked if Hishammuddin is “trying to win over Dr Mahathir Mohammad and show off his capabilities”.

“However, this action may undermine Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah’s standing if he appears less competent in locating Jho Low, which could serve to embarrass the cabinet,” Awang was quoted as saying.

However, Awang said, Hishammuddin may also serve as a neutral party following strained ties after Putrajaya decided to scrap a number of Beijing-backed infrastructure projects.

In July, Inspector-General of Police Fuzi Harun refuted reports claiming that Low has been arrested in China, saying that he is still at large and his whereabouts are unknown. – October 23, 2018.

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Comments

  • Again the same story which is TRUE Hishamudin is UMNO n BN . He has got some Info to hide or some hidden Agenda which involve jho low

    Posted 7 years ago by Tharan Singh · Reply

  • Keep him out / he might tip off jolow instead

    Posted 7 years ago by ASK LAZIE · Reply

  • It is a blessing that Jho is not yet found, as Pakatan will be able to pin down UMNO on 1MDB issue for as long as he is not found. UMNO has no space to breath and will be finished.

    Posted 7 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Two motives only:
    1. Get UMNO back to be part of unity government so that UMNO leaders can continue to have a chance to grease their hands in the cookie jar
    2. Put aside all the corruption investigation and legal suit against corrupted UMNO leaders. Let bygones be bygones.

    Posted 7 years ago by Jackal Way · Reply

  • Perhaps there is a serious question mark over and about whether Najib was actually really involved in the criminal part of siphoning off 1MDB money which Hisham wants Jho Low's help to uncover? If Najib was not so involved, was his only involvement to just have money credited into his bank account by unknown person(s)? Did Najib wake up 1 day to find that money had been mysteriously channeled to him without his knowledge? I wish some unknown benefactor would just dump some money into my badly depleted bank account!..

    Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply