Former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called for a government inquiry into allegations that Pakatan Harapan collaborated with US think-tank International Republican Institute (IRI) to bring down the Barisan Nasional government in the 14th general election.
I myself will like to know how IRI had collaborated with PH to topple the UMNO/BN Government from power in Putrajaya, which is a most far-fetched version of what happened on May 9, 2018.
All the pollsters had not expected a change of Federal Government on May 9, 2018, completely undermining the wisdom and intelligence of the Malaysian electorate, regardless of race, religion, region or even politics.
For instance, UMNO claimed to have 3.6 million members but it could only secure 2.5 million votes in the 14GE. MCA claimed to have more than one million members, but it could only muster 600,000 votes, at least half of whom were from UMNO members.
Was IRI responsible for influencing the majority of UMNO and MCA members not to vote for UMNO and MCA candidates in the 14GE in Malaysia?
It is now revealed that the Prime Minister’s Department under the UMNO/BN Government had co-hosted IRI-funded programmes.
There was a programme in 2015 involving the Prime Minister’s Department on training 20 Malaysians between the ages of 20 and 30 with skills and knowledge to “champion moderation and national unity” as envisioned in the Rukunegara, culminating in a national conference on unity held at the Integrity Institute of Malaysia on Sept 16, 2015 with veteran UMNO leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the keynote speaker.
Yesterday, I said it qualified as an international joke of the year for anyone to suggest that the US President Donald Trump’s think-tank in Republican Party was 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.
Yesterday, 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, and clearly with the UMNO/BN Government as well.
There is no disagreement whether in DAP or the other three Pakatan Harapan component parties to the question that there must not be any foreign interference in Malaysian national politics and sovereignty.
If IRI had interfered in Malaysian national politics, as in toppling the UMNO/BN coalition government from power in the 14th General Election, I fully agree with any national investigation to expose it.
However, I do not see any such evidence
But there is very strong evidence of efforts to seek such foreign interference during the 14GE, as illustrated by the letter written by Hasanah Abdul Hamid, the former director-general of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation in the Prime Minister’s Department, to the US Central Intelligence Agency on May 4, requesting its support for Najib’s administration in the event that the 14GE results turned out to be close.
This letter from Hasanah to CIA has not been denied, although there is allegation that it had been leaked by the CIA.
Malaysians are entitled to a full investigation into the Hasanah’s letter to the CIA, which the Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan (Patriot) has described as “treacherous and treasonous” and even lodged a police report for appropriate action to be taken.
Yesterday, Mohamed Arshad Raji, the president of the veterans association, asked the police: “The question that needs to be answered by the investigating authority now is why hasn’t Hasanah been arrested over the letter that we deem treacherous and treasonous.
“Does the investigating authority feel that the content of her letter isn’t serious enough to warrant her arrest?”
I support a bipartisan investigation both into Hasanah’s appeal to CIA for support and IRI’s alleged interference in the 14GE.
Will Najib support such a bipartisan investigation into both cases?
(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Wednesday, 8th August 2018)