The Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak should remember the adage “Little knowledge is a dangerous thing” when he blogged that the Bumiputera Finance Scandal in the 1980s is worse than the ongoing 1MDB scandal.

It is clear that Salleh’s knowledge of the BMF scandal and the Bank Negara forex scandal are most superficial, and I would recommend three tutors for Salleh to get full briefing about the BMF, Bank Negara forex and 1MDB scandals.

It is a pity that Salleh did not attend the Save Malaysia Roundtable in Damansara yesterday or he would have the benefit of DAP MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua’s presentation on “1MDB – Kedudukan & Langkah Selanjutnya” and he would not have made the ludicrous claim that the 1MDB scandal was a minor scandal as compared to the BMF scandal.

For Salleh’s information, these are among the slides presented by Tony Pua at the Roundtable yesterday:

Apakah Jumlah yang diseleweng?

• US$1.83 billion – Pelaburan Petrosaudi
• US$1.367 billion – “Cagaran” Aabar (BVI)
• US$0.855 billion – “Cagaran Tambahan” Aabar (BVI)
• US$1.56 billion – Pelaburan 1MDB “Global Investment”
• Total – US$5.612 billion (RM24.7 billion)*

*Tidak termasuk kerugian daripada activiti dan transaksi ‘rasmi’ seperti pengambilalihan syarikat penjanakusa, fi melampau kepada Goldman Sachs, diskaun bon luarbiasa, pelaburan hartanah dll
Apakah tanggungan rakyat Malaysia?

• RM5.0 bn – Bon 30-tahun jaminan kerajaan (2009)
• RM0.8 bn – Pinjaman 10-tahun SOCSO, dijamin kerajaan (2010)
• US$3.5bn – Bon 10-tahun dijamin IPIC, ditanggung MOF Inc (2012)
• US$3.0bn – Bon 10-tahun, “Surat sokongan” kerajaan (2013)
• US$1.0bn – Pendahuluan IPIC, ditanggung by MOF Inc (2015)
• US0.23j – Bayaran faedah oleh IPIC, ditanggung MOF Inc (2015/16)
• Jumlah = RM5.8 bn + US7.73 bn = ~RM39.8bn*

*Tanpa mengira pinjaman lain berkaitan dgn Bandar Malaysia, TRX dll

I have no doubt that Tony Pua would be ready to tutor Salleh about the intricacies and magnitude of the 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal and disabuse him of his notion that the government’s “real exposure” in 1MDB scandal is only RM1 million in the initial paid-up capital.

Salleh should seek proper schooling on the subjects of the BMF, Bank Negara forex and 1MDB scandals before he makes a fool of himself in his blogs.

I recommend three tutors for Salleh, one for each of the three scandals.

Tony Pua will be a fitting tutor for Salleh for the 1MDB scandal, which has catapulted to the heights of global kleptocracy.

A tutor I will recommend to Salleh for the BMF scandal will be lawyer Chooi Mun Sou, who together with the then Auditor-General Tan Sri Ahmad Nordin and accountant Ramli Ibrahim formed the three-men BMF Inquiry Committee, which spent two years and produced the most complete picture of the RM2.5 billion BMF scandal – of the massive theft, fraud and criminal breach of trust of public monies by a conspiracy of public officials and corporate crooks.

The nation owes to Tan Sri Ahmad Nordin, Chooi Mun Sou and Ramli Ibrahim a great debt of gratitude for their great work.

They have proved to be the best exemplars of the dedicated, true and patriotic Malaysian, who are guided solely by the dictates of truth and national good, and who would not compromise their principles whatever the pressures or circumstances.

If in the sordid story of the BMF scandal, there had been one public official who had been prepared to take a principled stand for truth and the national interest, regardless of the displeasure or the wrath this would cause to powerful personalities or even the Government, the BMF scandal would not have reached its final magnitude and dimension.

Salleh should learn this lesson from the BMF scandal that if there are more Ministers who are prepared to put the dictates of truth and national good above personal interests of political advancement, and have the courage to tell the Prime Minister to end the pretence that the 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal is not an issue but must be addressed frontally, Malaysia will never get out of the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy.

Has Salleh learnt this lesson from the BMF scandal?

Clearly Salleh has not, or he would not have accepted Cabinet appointment while the Prime Minister was sacking the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail and overhauling the major national institutions like the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption commission, the Police and Bank Negara in a major political gambit to sweep the 1MDB scandal under the carpet.

I have in mind an excellent tutor for Salleh for the Bank Negara forex scandal – a person whose knowledge of the scandal would be second to none.

If Salleh wants his name, I am prepared to name him.

Salleh should not be a living example of the adage “Little knowledge is a dangerous thing” and should learn more about the BMF, Bank Negara forex and 1MDB scandals before he blogs about them.