The hour-long questioning of DAP National Publicity Secretary and MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua, by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for his two Facebook postings after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) legal suits to forfeit over US$1 billion 1MDB-linked assets in the United States under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010 raises two important public-interest questions:

Firstly, whether the question “Who is ‘MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1’” mentioned 36 times in the 136-page 513-paragraph DOJ complaint as one of the kingpins of the global multi-billion ringgit 1MDB embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption is a crime; and

Secondly, whether speculation from the various identification given in the DOJ complaint on “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” that the person referred to could only be Prime Minister Najib Razak although no name was mentioned is a heinous crime in Malaysia?

Malaysians do not want their Prime Minister to be mockingly referred to as “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” or “MO1”, whether in local or international circles, which immediately brings to mind the image of Malaysia as the top “kleptocracy” in the world and the DOJ legal action on the global scandal of the multi-billion dollar 1MDB embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption.

I had asked the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak immediately after the DOJ complaint on July 20 to deny that he is “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” referred to, or to confirm the identity and declare what he proposes to do to clear not only the name of the Malaysian Prime Minister, but the Malaysian Government and the Malaysian nation.

It is some two weeks since the DOJ complaint and the Prime Minister, as well as all the heads of the key national enforcement and investigative agencies, like the Attorney-General, the Inspector-General of Police, the Bank Negara Governor and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Chief Commissioner have all maintained a studied silence.

Could it be that all the top-notch chiefs of our key national institutions could not decipher who is the “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” referred to in the DOJ complaint when ordinary Malaysians have no difficulty in identifying him?

The Cabinet meeting tomorrow should end this charade, and should either declare that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” in the DOJ complaint is not Prime Minister Najib, or acknowledge that Najib was the person referred to and to state what the Government proposes to do to establish that the Prime Minister was not in any way involved in the global multi-billion dollar 1MDB embezzlement, money-laundering and corruption which formed the subject of the DOJ complaint, and to redeem Malaysia’s national dignity and international reputation from being stained and besmirched as one of the top kleptocracies in the world.