How long will the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his administration perpetrate the charade that there is no 1MDB scandal although it continues to make waves and hog international headlines, the subject of the largest kleptocratic litigation and investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and turned Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy?

So long as Malaysia plays the modern-day role of “The Emperor with no clothes” in the international arena, pretending that there is no 1MDB scandal within the four walls of Malaysia although in foreign financial centres, former bankers are convicted and imprisoned and banks and financial houses and banks are penalized and even closed down for involvement in the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal, so long will the 1MDB scandal hamper and impede the healthy political, economic, moral, nation-building and democratic development of the country.

It will even affect Malaysia’s foreign relations as witnessed by Najib’s recent disastrous visit to the White House and meeting with President Trump, the conspicuous absence of a press conference by Najib with the White House press corps and Najib’s equally conspicuous absence from the United Nations General Assembly opening session although he was in Washington a few days earlier.

This is a first time that the Prime Minister of Malaysia is behaving like a “fugitive” when overseas, studiously avoid the international press all because of the 1MDB scandal which had turned Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy.

What is even more shocking is the failure of any legal action by the Prime Minister against Newsweek news magazine and former World Bank President Paul Wolfowitze for calling him a “crook” on Sept. 13?

This is the first time that a Malaysian Prime Minister in 60 years has been publicly called a “crook” by an international personality like the former World Bank President and an international news magazine.

I will ask Najib to explain in Parliament which reconvenes on Oct. 23 why he is keeping quiet and submitting so docilely to such public defamation, when he should be defending his personal honour and the nation’s dignity by taking legal action to sue Wolfowitz and Newsweek magazine for calling him a “crook”!

Malaysians can still remember that it is more than two years ago that Najib had threatened to sue Wall Street Journal in July 2015 for implicating him in the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation twin mega scandals, but nothing has come out of it.

If these epithets “Kleptocrat”, “MO1” and “crook” are flung at Najib because of his personal activities, it is Najib’s personal matter. But when it is hurled against Najib because of his capacity as Prime Minister of Malaysia, it is not Najib’s personal matter but a national issue of great importance.

Is Najib going to take all these infamy and ignominy with a grin without any legal action to establish his integrity and incorruptibility as Prime Minister of Malaysia?

(Speech at the Pakatan Harapan ceramah on “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan Kleptocrasi” at Dewan Dato Nazir, Batu 14 Dusun Tua, Selangor on Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 at 9.30 pm)