In his speech at the Support Najib Solidarity Gathering in Kuantan on Sunday yesterday, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak declared that he was not “a thief of the citizens’ property” which he alleged was the portrayal by certain quarters who he charged “deliberately wanted to tarnish his image”.
He told the 5,000-people gathering of UMNO and Barisan Nasional members and leaders from 14 divisions in Pahang:
“You already know me. I am not like what is said by the people over there. I am not like that. I have looked after Pahang in the best possible manner.
“If I had wanted to rob, I would have robbed the forest here long ago. I didn’t even take an inch, I didn’t take a single tree in Pahang, I didn’t take the bauxite mine, I didn’t take anything.
“I have not changed my stand when I became prime minister, I will not take the people’s property, don’t think I am a crook, don’t think I steal the people’s property, I am the prime minister for the people.”
No one has made allegations against Najib whether about timber or bauxite mine but there is no doubt that Najib had still to give a satisfactory accounting for the RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.5 billion “political donation” twin mega scandals, despite these scandals swirling around the Prime Minister for more than year.
It is Najib’s twin mega scandals which have undermined and even destroyed public confidence in the independence, professionalism and integrity of key national institutions in the country and dogged and hounded the country’s international image in the past year until we suffer the international notoriety of among the top corrupt nations in the world – whether by the international website, ForeignPolicy, the international magazine TIME or Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2015.
Never before in the nation’s history as a mega scandal haunted and hounded the government and the country in Malaysia for so long and in so agonizing a fashion, with increasing intensity with the passage of time, because of two reasons:
Firstly, Najib refusal to come full and clean on the twin mega scandals; and
Secondly, the inability of the Najib government to sweep the twin mega scandals completely under the carpet, because both scandals are not just Malaysian scandals but also international scandals, crossing national boundaries and jurisdictions – with at least seven different countries apart from Malaysia conducting separation investigations into the twin mega scandals, i.e. United Kingdom, Switzerland, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Hong Kong, United States and Australia.
Even more serious and humiliating, Najib’s twin mega scandals have the subject of investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010 – the first time any Malaysian political leader, whether Prime Minister or occupant of other high political office, becoming the subject of investigation by the US authorities whether he is a “kleptocrat” whose assets in the United States derived from corrupt practices could be confiscated by the US authorities.
So far, the government has failed to account to Parliament about the US FBI investigations into the twin mega scandals.
Najib’s twin mega scandals are also the major cause for the unprecedented event in Kuala Lumpur on March 4, leading 45 political and civil society leaders to bridge the political divide for the first time in the nation’s history to come together to sign and proclaim the Citizens’ Declaration to Save Malaysia – including personalities like former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir, former Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former Cabinet Ministers.
Thirteen of the 37 paragraphs in the Save Malaysia Citizens’ Declaration refer directly to Najib’s twin mega scandals while another 13 paragraphs focus on how the twin mega scandals have caused a multiple crisis of confidence in Malaysia – political, economic, institutional and good governance.
Can Najib answer the questions about the twin mega scandals in the Citizens’ Declaration, not the mention to many other teeming questions, about these two scandals in Parliament this week?
(Speech at the DAP Raub ceramah in Bentong new village on Monday, 21st March 2016 at 10 pm)
#1 by teckwyn on Wednesday, 23 March 2016 - 2:36 pm
oh but there is indeed an allegation against najib on timber:
“in the budget debate on October 26, 1987 – a day before I was detained under Operation Lalang, I made a call in this House to the ACA to investigate the approval of a 2,000 – acre forest concession in Pahang to a low – cost housing resident a day before the August 3, 1986 general elections.
I had even referred to a letter dated 23rd January 1987 (Ref. PHN.PHG. 143/2/3/SK. 18(4)) which the Pengarah Perhutanan Negeri Pahang Dato Abdul Latif bin Nordin, had written to one Azmi bin Daud of 71, Rumah Kos Rendah, Lanchang, Mentekab, informing him that his application dated 21st July 1986 for about 2,000 acres of forest concession in Bentong District had been approved by the Menteri Besar of Pahang on 2nd August 1986. Azmi was given 30 days to pay $ 260,424.16 to take up the concession.
I had asked the ACA to investigate how the then Pahang Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, could give ‘lightning’ approval within 12 days to a forest concession applications, especially when the application was submitted at a time when the Pahang State Assembly had already been dissolved for general elections to be held – nomination being July 24 and polling on August 3, 1986. Furthermore, how could the applicant, who was staying in a government low – cost housing scheme, afford to pay $ 260,424.16, unless he was a nominee for powerful and influential people? Under the circumstances of the case, I specifically asked the ACA to investigate whether Azmi was in fact nominee for Datuk Nakib himself – a case of the Menteri Besar approving 2,000 acres of forest concession to himself before leaving office 24 hours later!
The ACA sends a representative to Parliament to take notes when the ACA is mentioned, but I have not heard from the ACA as to whether it had investigated this case. In fact, I will not be surprised if a file on it had never been opened in the first place.”
http://bibliotheca.limkitsiang.com/1989/11/14/dap-calls-for-the-closure-of-the-anti-corruption-agency-as-it-serves-no-purpose-when-it-is-so-ineffective-against-corruption-in-government-and-high-political-lev/
#2 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 23 March 2016 - 6:14 pm
Again, the question that need to be answered is what underhanded electoral cheating Najib MUST resort to, probably already started? Where will he get the many more billions he need to spend in the next GE, every campaign spending voters will be reminded it likely came from them??
Also voters need to be reminded that Hadi’s PAS is part of the eventual further abuse and theft.
#3 by Bigjoe on Thursday, 24 March 2016 - 9:29 am
Hadi’s PAS -UMNO should be asked, if AT THEIR VERY BEST, THIS
https://youtu.be/UV5O-0sYmkI
Is what they promise to the Country..This is what their ideollogical battle of religo-narco political hallucination promises – AT THEIR BEST and if, no, when they fall short, its going to be a lot worst..
#4 by tmc on Thursday, 24 March 2016 - 10:28 am
In the current news of Lim Guan Eng’s purchase of his bungalow, here’s a profound bit of advice to him, his family, Ms Phang and all their and DAP supporters. Keep an elegant silence and let MACC handle the investigation.
Do not give in to the temptation of riposte to the various insinuations, provocative items/challenges by Rahman Dahlan and UMNO. Let these silly idiots bark as they like in the press, isn’t that what they are used to doing? Looks like they want to take over MACC’s role. They are trying to provoke LGE to say and act up for the press, and this invites more silly press coverage, tit for tat and it will go on.
Keep quiet and let the dunggus hang themselves in public, just like they did in Lester’s case, etc