One of the mysteries of Permatang Pauh by-election is not only the disappearance of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, but also his posters, which like his two Prime Minister predecessors, had always pride of place in all previous Barisan Nasional by-election campaigns – and invariably given greater prominence than the contesting Barisan Nasional by-election candidate.
But this is not the case in Permatang Pauh. Has the Barisan Nasional leaders come to a stage where they are embarrassed about the presence of the Prime Minister, even his posters?
Is the disappearance of the Prime Minister and his posters in the Permatang Pauh by-election an eloquent testimony that Najib had got very serious things to hide from the voters of Permatang Pauh?
The voters of Permatang Pauh have a right to chant: Where is the Prime Minister? In particular with regard to his accountability and answers to the endless questions which are being asked by Pakatan Rakyat leaders and recently, former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir about the “mother of mother” of all financial scandals in Malaysia – the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal?
Is Najib hiding not only from the voters of Permatang Pauh but also from 30 million Malaysians about the 1MDB scandal, with all his boasts about the flagship policies of his premiership turning sour like his National Transformation Programme not good and beneficial but in a bad and detrimental sense for Malaysians, as transforming Mahathir’s first RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal and Abdullah’s first RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) to his first RM42 billion 1MDB scandal?
Najib owes the people of Malaysia and the voters of Permatang Pauh by-election a responsibility to answer the teeming questions which have been raised by PR Members of Parliament, Tony Pua and Rafizi Ramli, former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the whistleblowing website Sarawak Report about the 1MDB scandal.
I have listed the 1MDB scandal as one of the five key issues in the Permatang Pauh by-election, the four others being a powerful protest on behalf of the 30 million Malaysians against the second jailing and continued persecution of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; the 6% GST; the growing repression in Malaysia against PR leaders and NGO activists and fifthly, to “Save Malaysia” from the failure of Najib’s 1Malaysia policy with the worst racial and religious polarization in Malaysia under his premierkship.
On the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal, Permatang Pauh voter must lead the country to demand immediate transparency and accountability. When the voters cast their votes in the by-election on May 7, it will be more than two months after Najib had ordered the auditor-general to independently verify the accounts of the 1MDB.
Nobody knows what the Auditor-General had done in these two months.
The voters of Permatang Puah must not only vote to demand that the Auditor-General should table his report or interim on the 1MDB scandal to Parliament when it reconvenes on May 18 – they should also demand that Najib should come to Permatang Pauh before polling day on May 7 for a “1MDB scandal – Answer All Questions” Dialogue or he should seek a motion of confidence when Parliament re-convenes on May 18 to demonstrate he still commands support of the majority of MPs.
(Media Statement in Permatang Pauh on Friday, 1st May 2015)