WHEN will Prime Minister Najib Razak sue the foreign media for labelling him “a thief”, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang asked, as Putrajaya goes on the offensive against the global coverage on 1MDB.
Lim said The Economist ran an article titled Stop, thief! Malaysia’s PM is about to steal an election last week.
“Yesterday (Saturday), The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC also called Najib a thief.
“Is he going to sue The Economist and the American TV station since they had publicly called him a thief? Isn’t it shameful?” Lim said last night at Penang Pakatan Harapan’s celebration marking 10 years in power.
The reports follow the recent seizure of the RM1 billion super yacht Equanimity belonging to businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, in Bali by Indonesian authorities collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
The seizure renewed foreign media interest in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal, which was labelled by the US Justice Department (DoJ) as the largest kleptocracy case in American history in 2016.
DoJ filed two civil suits in 2016 and last year to seize more than US$1.5 billion (RM6 billion) in real estate and other assets allegedly bought with money siphoned off 1MDB.
The assets include Equanimity and the rights to movie Dumb and Dumber To, produced by Red Granite, a production house co-owned by Riza Aziz, Najib’s stepson.
The Penang-born Low, who is said to be Najib’s confidante and business adviser, was named by DoJ as the mastermind in a scheme to siphon off billions of dollars from the state investment fund.
While news of the yacht seizure hardly made the mainstream media in Malaysia, Indonesian and American media have been running stories on it and the larger 1MDB scandal linked to Najib, who received US$681 million in his bank account.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing in relation to 1MDB. In 2016, Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali said the US$681 million was a gift from Saudi Arabian royals.
Yesterday, Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Jailani Johari warned the foreign media to stop publishing “fake news” on 1MDB to tarnish Najib’s credibility.
“The ministry has identified several news portals that are trying to revive the 1MDB issue following the seizure of the Equanimity. Among those portals are The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), The New York Times, The Economist, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the latest, MSNBC,” Sinar Harian quoted Jailani as saying.
Lim said the foreign reports on the scandal have brought shame to Malaysia.
Thousands of Penang folk attended the gathering last night, which was supposed to feature PH chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
However, the 92-year-old skipped the event as he was tired out after his ceramah in Kelantan on Saturday night.
Leaders, including PH and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, state DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, also spoke of Penang’s achievements under PH and urged the people to give their support to the coalition.
Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin said Penang has become a model state under PH.
The former deputy prime minister said Malaysia, too, was once a model nation but now a kleptocracy – a government led by a thief – because of the 1MDB scandal.
“You defend the Penang government and tell others to vote for PH to make sure we can form the next government in Putrajaya,” he told the crowd.
Muhyiddin said BN might manipulate the elections, using the re-delineation, postal and early votes to stay in power, but they could not cheat if all the people stood up against BN in the polls.
“This is why the election is not about PH fighting BN any more. It is the people against BN because the people may be cheated. Tell your family and friends, no matter where they are, to vote.”
Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir spoke about the Umno narrative that GST did not burden the people, the nation’s economy is growing and that BN will win more than two-thirds majority because it gave out BR1M (1Malaysia People’s Aid).
He said if the people agreed with the narrative, they would keep BN and Najib in power.
“If you don’t want them, then both your votes for Parliament and state must go to PH,” said the former Kedah menteri besar. – March 12, 2018.
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Comments
Posted 6 years ago by Leslie Chan · Reply
Posted 6 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply
Posted 6 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply
Posted 6 years ago by Sam Ng · Reply
Posted 6 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply
Posted 6 years ago by Yong Yeok Fong · Reply
Posted 6 years ago by Chris Ng · Reply
With more damning revelations by no less than 2 hands-full countries spanning the globe, the latest by DoJ's pace-gathering follow-thru' actions, the end is looming in the horizon. So folks, read my lips: No sane being gonna do the dumbest thingy, i.e. to appear in court to get nakedly exposed the litany of mega-thievin'm acts honed so "brilliantly' thru' that wretched thingy called 1MDB.
He must be a real bigly weird nut to inflict upon himself that unwanted humiliation
in the processes of open court. period#
Posted 6 years ago by Musang Wang · Reply