The 2019 Budget debate in Parliament has ended, with the Ministers beginning their replies today.

One of the most astounding features of the 2019 Budget debate is that not a single UMNO, MCA, MIC, PAS or Opposition MP dare to take a stand that the monstrous 1MDB “kleptocracy at its worst” scandal is a national catastrophe and that the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak must be held responsible for the infamy of Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy.

This despite my public reminder before the budget debate that every Opposition MP should declare his or her stand whether 1MDB scandal was a national catastrophe and whether Najib should be held responsible for Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy.

This shows that not a single Opposition MP could be depended upon to perform the national duty to redeem Malaysia’s international reputation and standing by transforming Malaysia from a global kleptocracy into a leading nation in integrity in the world.

All Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or party politics, is now entitled to say “Fie and Shame” to every UMNO, MCA, MIC, PAS and Oppositon MP for their cowardice and dereliction of parliamentary and national duty to take a stand during the Budget debate that 1MDB scandal is a national catastrophe and that Najib must be held responsible for the infamy of Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy.

Are the Opposition MPs such retards when even Utusan Malaysia, Najib’s erstwhile mouthpiece, could wake up from a long Rip Van Winkle sleep to challenge Najib’s claim that the infamous RM2.6 billion donation in Najib’s personal banking account was from Saudi Arabian royalty, as Najib had never thanked the Saudi Arabia government or the King for the RM2.6 billion donation, if the money was indeed from them?

There was a great coming-together of UMNO and PAS in a joint rally in Pasir Salak where the UMNO President, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, made the astounding proposal for an UMNO-PAS merger, which was summarily rejected by PAS without second thought.

Two things stood out in the joint UMNO-PAS rally in Pasir Salak on Saturday night: Firstly, how low UMNO has fallen from just six months ago, when it regarded itself as the eternal candidate to be the government of the country; and secondly, not a word was uttered by leaders of both parties to condemn corruption or even to express regret that Malaysia had been regarded by the world as a global kleptocracy.

It is clear that both parties do not find any objection to Malaysia from being regarded by the world as a global kleptocarcy as both UMNO and PAS have taken a most ambiguous stand on the 1MDB scandal – failing the litmus test of their commitment to a clean and honest government whose top priority is to transform Malaysia from a global kleptocracy to a leading nation in integrity.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Parliament on Monday, 19th November 2018)