Yesterday evening, Dato’ Seri Najib Razak defended the performance of his government on live national television. He said
As a transparent government, I as the prime minister, with the honourable deputy prime minister and supported by the minister as wells as members of the administration, would never for a moment budge or surrender.
Instead, we would remain steadfast and continue our struggle, charting a million new paths for the people and nation.
Dato’ Seri Najib Razak must be the most shameless Prime Minister in the world today, to have the cheek to still label itself as a “transparent government”.
Malaysians can only cringe in embarrassment as the world, after being exposed to the shenanigans of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and the extravagant display of wealth of the “first family”, makes us a laughing stock with the Prime Minister’s statement.
It has been months since it was first exposed by The Sarawak Report that 1MDB signed a scam agreement with Petrosaudi International Limited in February this year. However, more than 2 months later, the “transparent” Najib administration has steadfastly refused to shed any light on the agreements and the billions of ringgit transacted.
The Sarawak Report has since established that of US$1.83 billion which was transferred to Petrosaudi between September 2009 and March 2012, at least US$1.45 billion was siphoned directly or indirectly by Jho Low’s companies, Good Star Limited and Abu Dhabi Kuwait Malaysia Investment Corporation (ADKMIC).
However, despite the scale of the scandal, Najib’s most transparent government refused to verify the above allegations and chooses to ask Malaysians to be patient with 1MDB.
The New York Times has also on the 8 February exposed the fact that Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor has purchased millions of US dollars of jewelry in Hong Kong in 2008 and 2009. The report also highlighted Rosmah’s son, Riza Aziz’s cash acquisition of a US$33.5 million condominium in New York and another US$17.5 million luxury bungalow in Los Angeles.
However, despite countless attempts to obtain an explanation on how Najib’s family accumulated such an unbelievable amount of wealth, Najib’s very “transparent” administration would only say that “neither any money spent on travel, nor any jewelry purchases, nor the alleged contents of any safes are unusual for a person of the prime minister’s position, responsibilities and legacy family assets.”
We call upon the Prime Minister to live up to his boast that he runs a “transparent government”. If Dato’ Seri Najib Razak is serious about being “transparent” and not just interested in engaging in political rhetoric, then he must immediately respond to the specific allegations made by The New York Times and The Sarawak Report.
At the very least, 1MDB must be made to respond immediately with solid facts to dispel the allegations that billions of ringgit were transferred to Jho Low’s companies and that bank accounts in BSI Bank in Singapore does not hold the purported billions of dollars.
The latest attempt to cover up by 1MDB, claiming that it “does not comment on speculation and market rumours” certainly doesn’t cut it a “transparent government” against mounting evidence of misappropriation and embezzlement.
There is little Malaysians can do if Dato’ Seri Najib Razak chooses to ignore all valid criticisms, remain thick skin and not resign as the Prime Minister. However, the least he could do is to stop making a fool of Malaysians, and start giving some straight answers as a “transparent government” should.