The MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, asked how the DAP could assume the responsibility of managing and governing at federal level when the DAP could not resolve its problem with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for some five years with regard to the DAP Central Executive Committee elections in December 2012.

Liow is barking up the wrong tree, for the problem of the DAP CEC elections dragging on for some five years is solely the responsibility and doing of the Registar of Societies under the directive of the political masters, and not because of any wrongdoing on the part of the DAP.

Who would have imagined that the Registrar of Societies could ask the DAP to have DAP Central Executive Committee re-election some four years after the DAP had conducted such CEC re-election following the ROS’ directive on Sept. 29, 2013?

If Liow Tiong Lai is a conscientious, outspoken and responsible Minister, he should be speaking up in Cabinet to point out that it is extremely ridiculous and irresponsible for the ROS to want the DAP to conduct re-election of DAP CEC based on the 2012 DAP Congress delegates’ list when the DAP had done precisely this on Sept 29, 2013, and asked why the ROS had taken four long years over the matter.

Instead, Liow laid the blame on the DAP but dared not speak the truth in Cabinet.

Similarly, MCA leaders and Ministers have lost their moral compass when not a single one of them dared to ask in Cabinet or Parliament as to the identity of “MO1” and “wife of MO1” in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits to forfeit US$1.7 billion 1MDB-linked assets as a result of US$4.5 billion money-laundering of 1MDB funds through American banks.

Pakatan Harapan has launched a nation-wide campaign, “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan Kleptokrasi” (Love Malaysia, Destroy Kleptocracy) 1MDB ceramah which started in Penaga, Penang on Thursday night to explain in simple easy-to-understand terms the DOJ lawsuits about how billions of ringgit of Malaysian people’s monies in 1MDB ended as expensive jewelleries, art pieces, luxury properties of a handful of people close to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Penang billionaire and 1MDB mastermind,Jho Low, and why these assets or proceeds from the sale of these assets should be returned to the people of Malaysia.

Can Liow or any MCA Minister or leader explain why none of them had dared to demand an explanation, whether in Cabinet or Parliament, about these billions of ringgit of ill-gotten assets from the money-laundering of 1MDB funds?

These ill-gotten assets include the now-infamous US$27.3 million (RM117 million) 22-carat rare pink diamond set in a necklace, which the US DoJ alleged was purchased with stolen 1MDB money for the wife of “Malaysian Official 1” (MO1).

This one piece of jewellery, costing RM117 million, is beyond the capability of over 99% of Malaysians, even from their multiple life-time incomes or earnings.

If a person earns RM5,000 a month, he would make RM60,000 a year, RM600,000 in a decade, and given 50 years of lifetime earnings or incomes, we are talking about a total of RM3 million – which is just 2.5% of the cost of the pink diamond necklace of “wife of MO1”. To afford to buy the 22-carat pink diamond necklace gifted to the “wife of MO1” by Jho Low would need incomes from such a person earning RM5,000 a month for 50 years for 40 life-times!

How many people in Malaysia earn RM5,000 a month for 50 years?

What is the use of Liow and MCA leaders to talk about moral values when they do not have the courage to speak up in Cabinet and Parliament against such obscene and criminal extravagance and kleptocracy?

(Speech at the DAP Kopitiam Dialogue in Lukut on Sunday, 9th July 2017 at 4 pm)