THE Umno general assembly this week is the “perfect time” for the party’s grassroots to show that they care about the country’s welfare by raising the latest comments by US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions that the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal was “kleptocracy at its worst”, a DAP lawmaker said.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said delegates at the ruling Malay party’s 71st assembly should raise the matter to party president Najib Razak or else the gathering would be “a joke of a meeting”.

“This is a great opportunity for Umno members to raise it to their president, to show that they have the initiative to defend the public,” he said.

Santiago was responding to Sessions’ speech at the Global Forum on Asset Recovery yesterday, where he said “nearly half of the US$3.5 billion (RM14.2 billion) in corruption proceeds we have restrained is related to just one enforcement action” that concerned 1MDB.

“The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is working to provide justice to the victims of this alleged scheme,” Sessions said.

Santiago said Sessions’ remarks showed that the 1MDB scandal was an international investigation and Umno members could not avoid it.

“Otherwise this will be a joke of a meeting, the members of Umno are smarter than that. They can see the problem on the ground, and I think it is incumbent upon them to raise the matter to their leaders because it has come to hurt even themselves.

“Collectively it has come to hurt Malaysians in a very big way, for example, we want to bring medicine in, the prices of medicine has risen because of the loss in the exchange rate. Just look at the prices of food that have risen,” he said.

Santiago added that Sessions’ remarks were a timely reminder for the Malaysian government to address the 1MDB scandal instead of repeating that the state firm had not lost any money.

“You have the highest legal officer of the United States at an international conference openly saying that 1MDB is kleptocracy at its worst,” he said.

Another DAP lawmaker, Liew Chin Tong, said the Najib administration would continue to be haunted by 1MDB despite attempts to depict otherwise.

“The Malaysian government must not pretend that nothing has happened and that there are no crimes committed,” said the Kluang MP and DAP political education director.

Amanah Youth deputy chief Faiz Fadzil said the US attorney-general’s office had always been consistent in how it viewed the 1MDB scandal and in its defence of the DoJ’s investigation and civil suits to seize assets worth US$1.7 billion.

This consistency, he said, was a blow to Malaysia’s law enforcement institutions, including the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and AG’s Chambers because they had been “afraid” to take action while others overseas had shown clear evidence of wrongdoings.

“The Public Accounts Committee’s report in 2016 and the RM115.8 million fine imposed by Bank Negara Malaysia have indicated flaws and mismanagement in 1MDB,” Faiz said, referring to the central bank’s disclosure in late September of the “record” fine imposed on 1MDB under Article 234 (3b) of the Financial Services Act 2013.

“Investigation and action against individuals involved, like Jho Low and the prime minister must be taken immediately to uphold the rule of law.

“We need an immediate, independent and thorough investigation into this scandal by the MACC because billions of ringgit in public funds had been lost,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Faiz, who had spoken on 1MDB in Pakatan Harapan’s anti-kleptocracy ceramah around the country, also said the youth movement formed by PH parties “Gerakan Anak Muda Cari Jho Low” (Finding Jho Low Movement or AMCJL) would continue to highlight alleged wrongdoings of the prime minister and Low, a Penang-born businessman accused of masterminding the scandal and of siphoning off billions of ringgit from 1MDB.

“Billions of the people’s money were stolen to the extent of causing an adverse impact on the people, who now have to bear with the goods and services tax (GST), rising prices, the fall of the ringgit which are all because of the 1MDB scandal,” he said. – December 4, 2017.