The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has said many things in his speeches, statements and messages during the 60th Merdeka Anniversary celebrations, but one word and subject which Najib has conspicuously omitted is corruption, especially grand corruption or the abuse of high-level power that benefits the few at the expense of the many and causes serious and widespread harm to individuals and society.

This was a most conspicuous omission as corruption has become one of the four apocalypses of Malaysia, giving the country the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy in the last two years under his premiership and Najib.

Najib was the only head of government who backed out in the last-minute from delivering a key-note opening address at the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) Conference in Putrajaya in September 2015 on the theme: “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action.” because Najib was fully aware that Malaysia had become a kleptocracy.

In ten days’ time, Najib would have the dubious honour of being the first government leader in the world who have been branded as a “kleptocrat” by the US Government through the US Department of Justice (DOJ) under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative to pay homage to the US President Donald Trump.

Should Malaysians regard this Najib-Trump meeting in the White House on Sept. 12 as an honour to Malaysia or a national shame and disgrace to Malaysia, as for the last two years, Najib had done nothing to clear or cleanse himself of the US DOJ charge that he is a “kleptocrat” as “MO1” as well as to get the US government to concede that Malaysia has not become a kleptocracy under Najib? Read the rest of this entry »