What a contrast!
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak blogging on the meaning of patriotism, that it is more than just raising the Jalur Gemilang, singing the national anthem or making a pledge to adhere to the Rukun Negara principles, but involving numerous levels in patriotism, like joining of hands between Malaysians to achieve a beneficial objective for the nation; genuine help extended to others in need and the effort to protect the nation’s harmony and sovereignty, even if it required sacrificing one’s life.
On the same morning, writing on his Facebook, Najib’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin named Najib as the “rogue” codenamed as “MO1” in the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s single largest action in the United States and the world for forfeiture of over US$1 billion assets in United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland because of US$3.5 billion embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds.
I do not see how Najib can continue to keep his silence after the damning DOJ indictment of litany of criminal conduct involving colossal theft of public funds and callous betrayal of public trust and the equaling damning Facebook posting by Muhyddin who wrote:
“I say with certainty that MO1 is Najib Abdul Razak. He is the rogue identified as such in the DOJ filings. As I am definitely right, I ask Umno members to reflect if this is the person they want as their party leader. I ask Malaysians is this the leader they want as prime minister to lead this country? We must end this abomination and restore truth and justice and I ask all Malaysians to unite in achieving this.”
Najib should walk the talk – prove he is a patriot by defending himself as Prime Minister, his government and the nation from the DOJ allegations about the largest global embezzlement and kleptocracy in the 1MDB scandal.
Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of EPU, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, said that “only an idiot doesn’t know who that person was” as there is no secret who is Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) mentioned in the US DOJ civil lawsuits.
Is Muhyiddin an “idiot” identifying the wrong person referred to in the DOJ filings?
If so, then the Prime Minister should state so, denying categorically that he is “MO1”.
Otherwise, Najib, by his own definition of patriotism, should defend himself, his government and the Malaysian nation to the DOJ charges of the series of criminal conduct resulting in the DOJ civil lawsuits on the single largest case of forfeiture of kleptocarcy assets in the history of the United States and the world.
Let Najib explain, for instance, to Malaysians and the world his real relationship with the Penang billionaire Jho Low, as to who was making use of whom in the 1MDB global scandal.
The 136-page US DOJ lawsuits seems to indicate that Jho Low was the “mastermind” of the 1MDB global financial scandal, as it would appear that Jho Low had a better bargain from the 1MDB scandal than Najib.
The DOJ complaint described three phases of 1MDB embezzlement and kleptocracy – 1) the Good Star Phase 2) the Aabar/BVI Phase and 3) the Tanore Phase, alleging that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” embezzled US$731 million via 1MDB. There is of a fourth phase, the SRC phase, which is not covered by DOJ action.
DOJ enumerated over US$1 billion from September 2009 to 2011 were siphoned off from 1MDB to Good Star which belonged to Jho Low under the first “Good Star” phase; in the second “Aabar/BVI phase” in 2012 approximately US$1.367 billion in 1MDB funds raised in two separate bond offerings were “misappropriated and fraudulently diverted” to bank accounts in Switzerland and Singapore controlled by Jho Low; and in the third “Tanore phase” in 2013 more than US$1.26 billion in 1MDB funds raised in a third bond offering were “misappropriated and fraudulently diverted” to bank accounts in Switzerland and Singapore controlled by Jho Low.
With US$731 million going to “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1”’s personal banking accounts, and even taking into consideration the US$238 million siphoned off to Red Granite Capital, an entity owned by Riza Shahriz, to purchase luxury real estate in the US and to fund his movie production company, Red Granite Pictures, more than two-thirds of the “misappropriated” US$3.5 billion 1MDB funds appeared to be at Jho Low’s disposal.
This raises the question who was the main beneficiary of the 1MDB scandal – Najib or Jho Low.
Najib has a patriotic duty to speak up and break his silence, ending the nonsensical, meaningless and ludicrous stance reiterated yesterday by two Ministers, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Pau Low and Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, that the government will take legal action against individuals named in the DOJ civil suits if they were found guilty of wrongdoing, completely ignoring the elephant in the room, “MO1” – who is not named but whose identity everybody seem to know except for “idiots”!