WHEN the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal started to surface, Dr Radzi Jidin – a forensic accounting lecturer – ignored the noise and still believed in the Umno struggle.

But he followed 1MDB’s developments, studying every statement and allegation against the state investment fund from an academic’s point of view.

Now, the lecturer at Hobart’s University of Tasmania in southern Australia, is writing about the 1MDB scandal as part of his research.

“I am also using the 1MDB case as a case study in my lectures, like in fair value accounting,” the 41-year-old told The Malaysian Insight in Ketereh, Kelantan, recently.

The lecturer has since left Umno to join Bersatu, the Umno splinter party chaired by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman. 

Radzi now heads the Ketereh division, a federal constituency controlled by Umno leader Annuar Musa.

An Umno man

Radzi, a headmaster’s son, was always an Umno man. Despite living in Australia since 1997, he always kept in touch with Malaysian issues and Umno.

He was previously a lecturer at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, where he had obtained his PhD. ANU is among the world’s 10 best schools for forensic accounting.

While studying there in 2001, he was a founding member of the Canberra Malay Students’ Association and the Australia Capital Territory Umno Club.

In 2004, he headed the Australia-New Zealand Umno Club, the umbrella body of 12 Umno clubs in the two countries.

Radzi maintained good relations with Umno leaders. In 2006, he even represented the overseas Umno clubs to address the Umno general assembly.

In the 2013 general election, he went as far as taking leave from university to return home to campaign for BN at his own expense.

“Umno did not pay for my air ticket… nothing at all. I took two weeks leave just to fulfil my duty. That was my way of doing things.”

Radzi became suspicious when 1MDB was formed out of the Terengganu Investment Authority, an investment company in the oil-rich east coast state.

“The government said 1MDB was a strategic firm. If the government wanted to set up such an outfit, then it should have done careful planning.

“Why start out from Terengganu if the intention is to set up such a firm? I was thinking ‘what’s all this?’”

Radzi started digging to have a better and comprehensive understanding about the alleged misappropriation involving the firm.

He said he is not biased because he looked at the case objectively as an academic, while he was still an Umno man.

“There is no bias because I was from that (Umno’s) side. If I were with the opposition, I would have looked at things from that perspective.

“But as a person coming from Umno, I looked at the whole issue very objectively.

“I even thought to myself ‘can I defend this (1MDB)?’ But how? When you look at it, you can’t. It  is just too much.”

Radzi had also studied the reports by whistle-blower site Sarawak Report, which published exposes about 1MDB.

The 1MDB debacle could not have been a mere creation, he said.

“If only it were a made-up story by Sarawak Report. The storyline is just too complex. I don’t think the portal went this far just to create some story.

“It is impossible to make up a story like this. Money went in here and there. It made no sense.”

Where’s the denial?

By 2015, a former PetroSaudi International staff Xavier Andre Justo had leaked emails he had stolen from his former employer to the Sarawak Report and the owner of The Edge Media Group Tong Kooi Ong.

PetroSaudi had dealings with 1MDB. Justo’s leaked emails revealed how millions of dollars were allegedly stolen from 1MDB.

Following the expose, former prime minister Dr Mahathir began admonishing 1MDB and Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was then chairman of the firm’s advisory board.

Najib’s deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, who was Umno deputy president at the time, also started to question the scandal.

The Edge subsequently published a story detailing the 1MDB money trail – how huge sums were transferred from one account to another.

Radzi said it took him days to understand the graphics showing the money trail.

“I was thinking, how nice The Edge was helping 1MDB answer the questions. I wanted the firm to explain that the transactions never happened.

“You can easily deny the transactions,” he said, explaining that the government should have done just that.

“All transactions can be traced easily. Others are alleging that money had been transferred here and there. The government should have just denied it.

“When we talk about forensic accounting, we are talking about how money moves in the banking system.

“Money can be traced no matter where it goes. It is not difficult at all. They just had to deny the transactions. So, people would start questioning the reports (by The Edge).”

Around the same time, the Wall Street Journal also published a story about the RM2.6 billion transferred into Najib’s accounts.

Then the government suspended the printing permit of The Edge and Muhyiddin was sacked from Najib’s cabinet for questioning the latter’s handling of the 1MDB scandal, and subsequently from Umno.

Former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir, who was also critical of the prime minister, lost his job and was also sacked from Umno. Another Najib critic, Shafie Apdal, was also sacked from his minister job and suspended from Umno. He later quit the party.

Enough is enough

Following the developments, Radzi said he was disappointed that Umno would not explain the accusations surrounding the 1MDB scandal.

He also felt he had done enough for Umno.

“For an issue so big and involving so much money, nobody wanted to speak, except three leaders who ended up sacked. Who can the people rely on to speak on their behalf?

“1MDB owes so much money. The principal, the interest, the opportunity cost… they all have to be paid. The money could have gone into better use.

“What becomes of the loan? What is left for the people? That is why I think this has gone overboard.

“This is the result of my research. I am confident that I am on the right path, and others can say what they want. Something huge happened in 1MDB.”

But the Bersatu Keterh chief, who has been speaking in ceramah in his area, admits that explaining something like 1MDB to voters in the constituency is a challenge.

Many voters remain in Umno and are not exposed to information about the scandal, he said.

“Many cannot understand the link between the loss of billions of ringgit that belong to the people through 1MDB and the loss of opportunities.

“The money could had been used to improve the education system, for instance.”

Still, he believes that Ketereh voters would wake up and shift their support in the next elections.

There are also many others who do not have the courage to leave Umno and chose silence instead, he added.

“There are many silent ones. This group is underestimated, namely those who are professionals like accountants who understand the issue. 

“They, too, know the nonsense when they look at the issue carefully.”

Asked if he would be made a candidate in GE14, Radzi said it is up to the party to decide.

“That’s out of my hands. As division chief, my job is to get the party election machinery ready alongside those of our component partners for the elections to oust Barisan Nasional (in the federal government).

“If the party leadership thinks I am capable in delivering victory for PH in Ketereh, then I will shoulder that responsibility, God willing.” – February 5, 2018.