It qualifies as the international joke of the year – US President Donald Trump’s think-tank in Republican Party working with Pakatan Harapan to topple Trump’s “favourite Prime Minister” and “golfing buddy”, Najib Razak in the 14th Malaysian General Elections on May 9, 2018.

This is my prevalent thought on UMNO’s hysterical statement yesterday accusing US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) of working with Pakatan Harapan to topple UMNO/BN from power in Putrajaya

Trump had been accused of all sorts of things but he has yet to be accused of betraying his best friend, which he would be guilty of if he had allowed IRI, a think-tank of his Republican Party, to help topple Trump’s “favourite Prime Minister” and “golfing buddy” with Najib having a signed photograph of Trump on his desk when he was Prime Minister.

Let us hear from Najib first whether Trump had been guilty of unspeakable perfidy and treachery as this would not only be Malaysian news but world news before any attention is paid to the hysterical UMNO statement yesterday.

Let us wait for Najib to speak up, as he does not seem to be so taciturn as in his nine years as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

However, there is one facet in the UMNO statement that cannot be go unnoticed, as it was based on the basis that there was nothing wrong with the UMNO/BN President receiving RM2.6 billion donation from overseas, even in the form of interference with independence and sovereignty of the country and in the process, nothing wrong with the monstrous 1MDB corruption and money-laundering scandal or Malaysia being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

While we wait for Najib to speak up, let me declare that the DAP had not received a single sen from IPR or from any foreign sources throughout our 52-year history unlike UMNO which claimed receipt of RM2.6 billion donation from a foreign source without yet referring to other sources of foreign funding.

It is worth noting the statement by IRI refuting claims that it had worked with Pakatan Harapan to undermine the then ruling Barisan Nasional government.

The IRI said it does not provide financial assistance to political parties in Malaysia and stressed that it is a non-partisan organisation that has worked with partners in Malaysia since 2002 to strengthen the ability of political parties to compete in elections and adhere to the practices of citizen-centred governance.

IRI said it provided non-partisan capacity building support to parties across the political spectrum in the form of direct training workshops and consultations with both the PH and BN coalitions.

I understand that IRI had also worked with Barisan Nasional component parties like MCA and Gerakan.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri in Parliament on Tuesday, 7th August 2018)