The demand for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to go on leave as Prime Minister, and even to be prosecuted for criminal offences under the law have grown more urgent and insistent.
Divisions and relations in UMNO ranks are also becoming increasingly brittle, confrontational and even hostile.
Yesterday, another UMNO Minister who is also UMNO Vice President had broken ranks with Najib, joining the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in expressing concern and calling for investigations into the Wall Street Journal allegations that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) were routed to the prime minister’s personal bank accounts.
Datuk Shafie Apdal, the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, agreed that the WSJ allegations must be given “serious attention” as it involved Najib’s “image and credibility as prime minister”.
He even joined the Home Minister, another UMNO Vice President, in urging Najib to take legal action if the accusation and claim is untrue to clear the government of negative perception not only among the rakyat but also the international community.
Yesterday, even former Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik called on Najib to temporarily vacate the Prime Minister’s post while the authorities investigate the WSJ allegations – until he is cleared in the investigations.
But the most serious development is the call by Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA) students in rallying behind Muhyiddin, urging him to take temporary control of the government.
The UIA students want Muhyiddin to pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak to go on leave pending an investigation into allegations that almost US$700 million was deposited into Najib’s personal bank accounts – with Muhyiddin as the acting Prime Minister in the meantime.
The UIA students also want a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of misappropriation of funds involving the government.
They warned that if their demands were not met, and the government failed to clear its name on the corruption allegations, the UIA students would organise a mass protest, together with other students, nationwide.
With the demand for Najib to go on leave as Prime Minister pending investigations becoming increasingly more urgent and insistent, it is Najib’s loss if he does not use the ideal platform of the meeting of progressive MPs in Parliament tomorrow to categorically clear himself of the WSJ allegation of embezzlement based on government special task force probe on 1MDB. Najib should in the next few hours give very serious thought to his attending the meeting of progressive MPs in Bilik Taklimat in Parliament at noon tomorrow to clear himself of all allegations of wrongdoing and breach of trust in the 1MDB scandal.