Former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s refusal to explain whether he misled and lied to Parliament that not a single cent was paid by the public on the 1MDB RM 52 billion scandal by Wednesday (tomorrow) as directed by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun requires Najib’s immediate suspension from Parliament pending Najib being referred to the Committee of Privileges. Najib is clearly in contempt of Parliament when he said he will only explain to the Dewan Rakyat about his remarks – that 1MDB’s debts were not paid using taxpayers’ money – after the Johor state polls are concluded.
Clearly Najib is placing more importance on campaigning in the Johor state elections than respect for the supremacy of Parliament and making truthful statements as an MP. By choosing to defy the Speaker’s directive he has breached Dewan Rakyat Standing Order 43, where the decision of the Speaker is final as to observance of the rules of order. If Najib refuses to retract his stubborn and recalcitrant attitude he should be immediately punished with suspension from Parliament until he complies.
How can Najib let the Speaker wait until after the Johor state elections for feedback on Tony Pua’s (Pakatan Harapan-Damansara) motion that Najib be referred to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee under Standing Order 36 (12) of the Dewan Rakyat over the untruthful and dishonest remarks? Does Najib consider that Bossku is bigger than the Speaker?
Najib’s claims in the Dewan Rakyat that no public funds have been used to pay off 1MDB debts has no merit and is baseless when publicly refuted by both the current Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz and former finance minister Lim Guan Eng. According to the Finance Ministry, RM19.14 billion has been recovered so far and placed in the asset recovery trust account, not RM23 billion as claimed by Najib, still less than half from the total losses of RM52 billion.