If the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is genuine in wanting a progressive Malaysia, then let him do two things immediately:

(i) Ensure that PKR Vice President and MP for Pandan Rafizi Ramli is not jailed or disqualified as a Member of Parliament for doing a national service for exposing the RM250 million National Feedlot Corportion (NFC) scandal; and

(ii) Cleanse Malaysia of the international obloquy of being a global kleptocracy in the past three years, and clean up the Augean stable of corruption affecting Felda, MARA, Tabung Haji and other government outfits.

In his pre-election visit to northern Johore today, Najib

reminded the people, particularly Felda settlers, to always embrace the BN and Umno struggle to ensure that the country remained progressive.

My first reaction was whether Najib was joking, as under Najib Malaysia had gone backwards and become very regressive, whether political, economic, educational, social or nation-building, and not moved forward to become more progressive, open-minded and accountable.

This is why the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal has become “fake news” to Putrajaya and swept under the humongous “carpet” in Malaysia.

Najib has achieved what five former Prime Ministers in more than half a century had failed to do – made the stratospheric ascent to become known as a global kleptocracy, with all the infamy and ignominy of the appellation.

This is very sad, as yesterday as the birthday anniversary of Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman who, like Datuk Onn, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and I believe Tun Abdullah, would never have conceived that Malaysia would suffer the shame and humiliation of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

Furthermore, never before in Malaysian history have so many people’s representatives whether Members of Parliament or State Assembly members been harassed and hounded, including being selectively prosecuted in the courts under the variety of repressive and undemocratic laws to take away their liberties as well as to remove them from the legislative chambers in the land.

Even 93-year-old Tun Siti Hasmah, wife of former premier Tun Mahathir, was not spared.

I fully agree with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the sentencing of Rafizi Ramli to 30 months’ jail for blowing the whistle on the NFC scandal shows the country needs to change its leadership, as the present nation-building trajectory can only lead to a regressive, failed and rogue state and not a progressive, prosperous and united Malaysia.

(Media Statement in Gelang Patah on Friday, 9th February 2018)