Another world recognition for Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) reporting on the 1MDB global scandal in Malaysia is another nail in the coffin of Malaysia as the new kleptocracy in global society.
In fact, the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa) awards for WSJ and its Asian edition economics editor Tom Wright for their investigative reports on the 1MDB scandal is “a slap in the face” and as good as an international vote of no confidence in Najib as Prime Minister.
Unless the Prime Minister himself can conduct town-hall meetings in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar these two days and give full and satisfactory accounting on the nations’ first global financial scandals – the RM55 billion 1MDB and RM4.2 billion “donation” twin scandals – and why there had been a string of adverse international developments and censures for Malaysia over the 1MDB’s global embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption, the voters of Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections on Saturday should stand up and speak with one voice on behalf of 30 million Malaysians to reject the UMNO candidates to send a clear and unmistakable message, viz:
“Enough is Enough. Malaysians have enough of the endless adverse international developments over the 1MDB scandal and want Najib to bring a closure to all the allegations of 1MDB embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption before the 59th National Day on August 31, 2016 or he should step down as Prime Minister on the 59th National Day!”
The SOPA awards for WSJ and Tom Wright should be the most important consideration for the voters of Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar in their by-elections on Saturday, for it is further proof that Malaysia has become an international rogue state, with the world looking askance at Najib’s premiership and the ham-fisted attempt by the UMNO/Barisan Nasional government to cover up the RM55 billion and RM4.2 billion “donation” twin global scandals.
Can the world be so wrong on the 1MDB global scandal that those who had consistently exposed the 1MDB scandal since last year like Tom Wright of Wall Street Journal and Clare Rewcastle Brown of Sarawak Report are feted world-wide for their exploits, accompanied by global crackdowns in connection with multi-billion ringgit 1MDB embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption in Singapore and Switzerland, with ongoing investigations in at least five other countries while all national institutions in Malaysia, from the Prime Minister downwards to the Cabinet, Parliament, the Public Accounts Committee, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Bank Negara, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Police, the mainstream media, all act in concert to try to erect a “cordon sanitare” to sweep the global scandals under the carpet in Malaysia?
But this is a futile effort in a borderless world in an information era where information travels at the speed of light – as futile as King Canute trying to stop the rising of the tide.
The voters of Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar have a historic mission on Saturday – to use their vote to remind Najib that he is destined to fail like King Canute when he tries to defy the elements, and what the Prime Minister should do is to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 1MDB scandal to bring the nation’s first global scandal to full accountability and closure or to immediately step down as Prime Minister.