The Minister for Tourism and Culture, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz is the latest addition to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s growing band of 1MDB court jesters.

Nazri made quite a fantastic statement in his exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, declaring that it is not difficult to defend his “boss”, as Najib is innocent of all the allegations against him with regard to the 1MDB scandal.

I get the impression that Nazri is the only Minister who feels that it is easy to defend the Prime Minister over the 1MDB scandal on the ground the Najib is innocent of all the allegations against him.

We have had a Minister, one who had been named Cabinet spokesman for 1MDB in 2015, who fell ill because of the mental agony he had to go through to defend the 1MDB scandal.

The MP for Tambun and former Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hasnadzlah himself said that handling 1MDB had made him ill, that he was under heavy stress for months while trying to resolve the controversy and suffered high blood pressure; that a question from a senior official of Bank Negara that “Everyone knows that you are not involved in 1MDB. Why are you feeling stressed over the 1MDB issue?” finally prompted his decision to resign from the Cabinet; and that after his resignation, he felt relieved as “1MDB no longer disturbs my mind and heart”.

In his speech on the 2017 Budget debate in October 2016, Husni questioned the government’s motive in setting up 1MDD which he stated had seen a lot of misappropriation with no action taken; why USD4 billion was invested in Aabar Investments PJS Ltd, which was not owned by IPIC; why no legal action was taken against the management of 1MDB for investing in the wrong places; the reasons for the Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP) decision to loan a lump sum of RM4 billion to SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB; and the reason behind limited tenders in government procurements without the knowledge of the tender committee.

But after his speech in Parliament October 2016, the then Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar announced police investigation on Husni alleging that Husni had tried to incite the people into believing that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had committed an offence, even though investigations into 1MDB had not been completed.

What is the outcome of these police investigations against Husni?

Husni found life outside the Cabinet walking the straight and narrow path equally trying, turning him within a year from a Najib critic on 1MDB into a Najib sycophant with a most unforgettable speech in Parliament on the 2018 Budget debate in November 2017!

Husni’s replacement in Cabinet, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani also could not become a Nazri.

Announced as the “gatekeeper” in the resolution of the 1MDB scandal and a key player in the whole 1MDB imbroglio in July 2016, Johari was completely sidelined in the 1MDB-IPIC “arbitration settlement” in April 2017.

Johari had earlier expressed his confidence about 1MDB’s legal position in the arbitration case and bringing to book the culprits in the 1MDB scandal.

On 1st August 2016, Johari said in an interview that after going through 1MDB’s documents, he was confident of the company’s legal position and that the arbitration case will go in 1MDB’s favour.

This is what Johari said: “As far as I am concerned, I am very confident that we will win. I have looked in detail all the documents supplied by 1MDB.

“The dispute is that they (IPIC) do not acknowledge Aabar BVI as their company. But our records show it indeed belongs to them.

“Now suddenly they claim it does not belong to them. Let the arbitration court look at our documents. We need to make sure we fight and win this case.”

But the Malaysian Government did an “about turn” and agreed in April 2017 to the so-called “arbitration settlement” which would involve (i) 1MDB conceding that Aabar BVI is not IPIC company and 1MDB and Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MoF, Inc) assuming all liabilities from the US$3.5 billion of bonds which were previously guaranteed by IPIC; and (ii) the Malaysian taxpayers having to pay double the US$3.5 billion bailout of 1MDB.

Like his predecessor, Johari was not a Nazri who could find it easy to defend Najib as the Prime Minister is innocent of all the allegations made against him on the 1MDB scandal.

Who are the other Cabinet Ministers who, like Nazri, finds it easy to defend the Prime Minister because Najib is innocent of all the allegations on the 1MDB scandal made against him?

It could not be the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Ser Rahman Dahlan, who had gone into hiding on the subject since his foolish public admission that “MO1” was none other than the Prime Minister Najib!

Could it be the latest “boy-wonder”, the Minister for Communications and Multi-media who recently made the ludicrous statement that there is no evidence that the billion ringgit luxury superyacht Equanimity which was seized by the Indonesian authorities in Bali last week is owned by Jho Low?

Let all other Ministers who agree with Nazri that it is easy to defend Najib on the 1MDB scandal because Najib is innocent of all allegations made against him put up their hands!

The ridiculous statement by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun that there is “nothing to link Jho Low with 1MDB” is evidence Najib’s band of court jesters is spreading and enlarging from the Executive to the Legislature and the Judiciary, undermining the doctrine of separation of powers and the independence, impartiality and professionalism of national institutions, whether Parliament, Police, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Judiciary, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Multimedia and Communications Commission, etc.

Has IGP Fuzi asked Prime Minister Najib about the link between Jho Low and 1MDB, or is it one question he dare not ask?

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