1MALAYSIA Development Bhd (1MDB) chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy continues to get a roasting from the public, with a former teacher from his alma mater, the Royal Military College, slamming him for his double talk.

V. Chakravarthy, who was a mathematics teacher and debate coach at RMC in the 1970s, said he was so disappointed with Arul that he criticised the man in an open letter two days ago.

“At the end, I was very disappointed with him, as a former RMC teacher. At RMC we produce students of high calibre, leaders of tomorrow,” the 78-year-old Chakravathy told The Malaysian Insight.

“He was hired to do a job. He did well at the beginning, working quietly to try and solve a messy problem.

“Arul claimed to be apolitical when he was not. He was making comments about (Pakatan Harapan leaders) Rafizi Ramli and Tony Pua, and going on Barisan Nasional (BN) roadshows to keep the party in power.”

Chakravarthy said as a professional who was doing his work well, Arul should have kept out of politics.

“Arul Kanda, did you serve to lead or serve to mislead? Why did you go on roadshows to prop up (former prime minister) Najib (Razak), in spite of the overwhelming evidence showing theft of people’s money?” he asked in his letter.

Arul was a student at RMC in the 1980s. The college’s motto was “serve to lead”.

Chakravarthy was a teacher there until 1978. He never taught Arul or had spoken to him personally.

“I have only seen him on television and in one of his roadshows,” the retired teacher from Kuala Lumpur said.

Before the May 9 general election, Arul had gone on several roadshows around the country to explain that the fund’s exercise to pare debts was working well.

He had also attempted to absolve Najib – the former 1MDB advisory board chairman – of any role in the billions of dollars of losses suffered by the state investment fund.  

In his letter, Chakravarthy said Arul would now have to live with the choice he had made to “back the wrong horse”.

“You backed the wrong horse, not realising that Malaysians had reached the end of the theatre and decided to bring down BN and its cronies, and yourself included.

“You forgot that truth and honour are far more important than the external advantages of rank and fortune. I am very sorry that you will have to live with this (on your) conscience for the rest of your life.”

Chakravarthy said he originally intended to send his open letter to the press for publication, but an English daily told him the issue was no longer timely.

He then sent the letter to a few former students, who enjoyed the piece.

“They spread the letter around. It became viral. The letter also made it to the old boys’ group and then several other chat groups.

“It’s gone international. I am very surprised how fast things can go viral on the internet these days,” he joked.

Chakravarthy said he learned that Arul himself had seen it.

“One former student said he forwarded Arul the letter. The student said Arul made no response.”

The 1MDB scandal, which involved billions of ringgit siphoned off, is now being re-investigated after PH won the general election to take over Putrajaya.

The day after Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was sworn into office, he said the government had been “bailing out” 1MDB since April 2017 in coupon and debt settlement obligations.

This was contrary to previous statements by 1MDB and Arul that payments were made from the fund’s rationalisation exercises. – June 1, 2018.