1MDB, a scandal even a carrot would understand

Chan Kok Leong Chan Kok Leong Updated 7 years ago · Published on 4 Nov 2018 6:23PM · 7 Comments

Lokman Noor Adam's continuous defence of Najib Razak may come at the expense of all Barisan Nasional component parties, especially Umno. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, November 4, 2018.

IT’S irrefutable that 1Malaysia Development Bhd was a scandal, Lim Guan Eng told reporters yesterday. The facts were unquestionable. 

Since May 9, former 1MDB chairman, prime minister and finance minister Najib Razak, his wife, Rosmah Mansor, and former treasury secretary-general have been slapped with 61 charges for their roles in 1MDB.

On Thursday, alleged mastermind Low Taek Jho was charged for bribery and embezzlement in the United States while former Goldman Sachs executive Tim Leissner had also pleaded guilty for bribery and money laundering and agreed to return US$43.7 million (RM181.9 million).

His former colleague, Ng Chong Hwa, meanwhile, was arrested last week and now awaits extradition to the US.

All this points to a scandal that even a carrot would understand.

But in Umno, carrots are in season and while Najib is no longer its president, the issue continues to haunt and split the party.

In one corner, leaders such as Nazri Abdul Aziz, Khaled Nordin, former finance minister Johari Abdul Ghani and Khairy Jamaluddin believe that 1MDB led to the party’s downfall.

While in the other, leaders such Lokman Noor Adam maintain that the allegations are unfounded and that Najib is a victim of Pakatan Harapan’s lies. And that BN’s defeat had nothing to do with the 1MDB scandal.

The fact that popular Umno leaders such as Shahrir Abdul Samad, Khaled Nordin, Zambry Abd Kadir and Mohamad Hasan lost their states and constituencies seems to have eluded Lokman and his cohorts.

The fact that MCA, MIC and Gerakan had to pay for their silence over 1MDB with their presidents’ defeats has also escaped the former finance ministry’s communications director and supreme council member.

In a statement on Friday, deputy Umno president Mohamad said it was unfair to link Umno to 1MDB.

But as long as Lokman continues to defend the former president, 1MDB will continue to be associated with the party. As long as Najib is able to host tea parties in the party’s headquarters, the public will see it as a backing of sorts.

And as long as newly elected president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi prolongs his silence over 1MDB and Najib, it will give the impression that he supports both.

For Umno to rid the monkey from its back, Zahid must decide once and for all whether Umno should continue giving credence to the 1MDB beast or come clean so that the party can unite and start afresh. 

Failing which, 1MDB will continue to be synonymous with Najib, Jho Low and Umno. – November 4, 2018.

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Comments

  • Zahid has no guts to do the right thing...it shows his poor n weak leadership. Good as that means umno will not rise again.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lipdah Lia · Reply

    • How can a thief call another thief, a thief?

      Posted 7 years ago by Jackal Way · Reply

  • Well said. Except umno is corrupted to the hilt, they cannot come to terms that any one of them should be punished for what they do routinely. A crook cannot tell another crook if he should be caught. Unless all the thieves are replaced, you cannot hope for them to have a different view or change.

    Posted 7 years ago by Alphonz Jayaraman · Reply

  • How do we expect that indon kaki pukui gangster head Zahid Komidi to say anything about 1MDB? To say 1MDB is a scandal, he will have to admit he's lying to his teeth to have met the camel herder ghosts donor. To deny it, he's saying DoJ is stupid. That idiot is the same as lobakman having a carrot brain.

    Posted 7 years ago by Chee yee ng · Reply

  • Looks like many in umno have a head of lettuce. Not much nutritional value

    Posted 7 years ago by Kenneth Tan · Reply

    • Umno is gone , no way it would come back as long as those carrots are still around.

      Posted 7 years ago by BL Yeo · Reply

  • Its very straight those or whoever looted the country s and people money they have looted their trust too. So they must be punished. 0163799025

    Posted 7 years ago by Khalid Zaman Khan · Reply