The RM55 billion 1MDB global financial scandal, which included Najib’s RM4.2 billion “donation” scandal, is like a giant octopus with its eight tentacles wrapped so tightly around the country’s key personalities and institutions that Malaysia can only free and save itself if it could escape the strangling embrace of the giant octopus.
The Second Colloquium on 1MDB scandal is to explore how to bring a closure to the nation’s first global scandal, which had been hounding and haunting the country for the past six years.
I can envision the eight victims which are caught in the suffocating embrace of the eight tentacles of the giant 1MDB octopus, viz:
1. the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak;
2. UMNO whose leadership at the national, state and even divisional levels have been co-opted or compromised;
3. MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other Barisan Nasional component parties which is why no MCA, Gerakan or MIC Minister or leader dare to have a confrontation with the UMNO leadership over the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said’s Ministerial motion in Parliament on May 26 to fast-track Hadi’s hudud motion or to requisition an emergency meeting of Barisan Nasional Supreme Council with the dual objective to firstly, restore the status quo ante by reaffirming the Barisan Nasional’s 43-year consensus that hudud is against the Malaysian Constitution and not suitable for multi-religious Malaysia and secondly, to repudiate and sack Azalina for her Ministerial motion which violated BN spirit and consensus.
4. PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, the only opposition leader to come to the defence of Najib over the RM55 billion 1MDB scandal. As a result, Hadi has moved closer to Hadi, resulting in the Najib-Hadi plot of Hadi’s hudud bill in Parliament on May 26.
5. Parliament, where questions on 1MDB are not permitted or allowed to be raised, besmirching the role and powers of Parliament as the highest political chamber in the land and the Public Accounts Committee which is prevented by a “cari makan” chairman to further investigations into the 1MDB and “donation” scandals to get to the bottom of these global scandals than just produce the PAC Report on 1MDB which only addressed the “tip of the iceberg” of the global scandal.
6. The Executive and all major investigative or enforcement agencies, whether Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Bank Negara, the Police, Attorney-General’s Chambers, compromising their capabilities from discharging their powers and responsibilities.
7. The mortgagint of the rights and interests of 30 million Malaysians and future generations; and
8, Compromising the good name and international standing of Malaysia.
UMNO/Barisan Nasional propagandists have said that Najib’s RM55 billion 1MDB and RM4.2 billion “donation” twin global scandals are too difficult, complex and “high brow” subjects for the farmer, fishermen and ordinary voters in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar constituencies to understand or to use them as factors for deciding their votes in the two by-elections.
Furthermore, these UMNO/BN propagandists also strong believe that it is beyond the comprehension or imagination of the farmer, fishermen and ordinary voters in these two constituencies to envisage the concept of 1MDB as a giant octopus fully wrapping its eight tentacles on the key personalities and vital institutions in the country, slowly and steadily, strangulating and squeezing out the vital powers of the country for healthy political and economic development and growth.
I call on the voters on Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar to prove these UMNO/BN propagandists wrong, that they understand the enormity and the heinousness of the multi-billion ringgit 1MDB embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption – which have become the basis for overseas actions against financial institutions, including closure, and criminal prosecution of individuals involved.
Even more important, let the voters of Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar demonstrate that they can understand the concept of the monstrous 1MDB scandal as a giant octopus wrapping its eight tentacles around key personalities and national institutions undermining their credibility, authority, professionalism and vitality.
Let the voters of Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar demonstrate that unlike some national leaders, they have not lost the moral compass of being able to distinguish right from wrong – that they know that embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption are just downright wrong and bad for the country.
With the PAC Report on 1MDB dealing only with the “tip of the iceberg” of the colossal 1MDB scandal, there can be no stronger case for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on 1MDB global scandal.
But this is impossible unless there is a change of government in Putrajaya as none other than the Prime Minister himself is directly involved in the 1MDB scandal.
As the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 1MDB scandal is not a realistic option at present, all Malaysians, whether political parties, politicians, NGOs and NGIs should seriously consider establishing a 1MDB Giant Octopus Tribunal, involving not only national but also international participation as money-laundering, corruption and other relared crimes have become global challenges which are receiving greater international attention and joint global action – like the revelation of the Panama Papers.
I therefore recommend the establishment of an international “1MDB Giant Octopus Tribunal” as agenda for consideration by Malaysian NGOs and the organisations in international society which are concerned about the phenomenon of global embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption.
(Speech at the closing of the 2nd Colloquium on the RM55 billion 1MDB global scandal in Kuala Kangsar on Sunday, 12th June 2016 at 1.30 pm)