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Hasan Arifin should move a motion in name of PAC to censure the Executive for classification of Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB under Official Secrets Act as a contempt of Parliament and breach of parliamentary privilege

The Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Datuk Hasan Arifin should move a motion in the name of PAC in Parliament which reconvenes on Monday to censure the Executive for classification of Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB under the Official Secrets Act as a contempt of Parliament and breach of parliamentary privilege.

The reason which had been given for the classification of the Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB is not only unacceptable, it has never been done before as far as the Auditor-General’s reports were concerned.

For instance, the Auditor-General’s interim report on 1MDB which was presented to PAC in July was never classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

Why is it necessary to classify the Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB under OSA, a contempt of Parliament which must be challenged by MPs at the first available opportunity, i.e. on Tuesday on March 8. Continue reading “Hasan Arifin should move a motion in name of PAC to censure the Executive for classification of Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB under Official Secrets Act as a contempt of Parliament and breach of parliamentary privilege”

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Najib should seek a vote of confidence in forthcoming Parliament unless he is unsure of unquestioned loyalty from UMNO/BN MPs

Shortly after the historic gathering for the signing and the proclamation of the Citizen’s Declaration to Save Malaysia, calling for the removal of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the Prime Minister of Malaysia and democratic and institutional reforms, the Najib government came out with a swift response.

It said that a general election is the only “existing mechanism” to change the government and the Prime Minister – “the only mechanism that is lawful, democratic and fulfil’s the people’s will” – claiming that in 2013, “the Malaysian people expressed their will and elected the current government, led by Prime Minister Najib Razak” and any change must “follow the democratic process and await the next election, in line with Malaysia’s laws and Federal Constitution”.

What balderdash!

Firstly, the government statement is more than bending history because Najib was not elected Prime Minister as a result of the support of the majority of popular votes. He is the first minority Prime Minister of Malaysia as he secured only 47% of the popular vote but 60% of the parliamentary seats, a reflection of the undemocratic and unjust electoral system.

Secondly, a general election is not the only way or mechanism for a change of Prime Minister. Continue reading “Najib should seek a vote of confidence in forthcoming Parliament unless he is unsure of unquestioned loyalty from UMNO/BN MPs”

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Najib making fatal mistake of underestimating the intelligence of Internet users in Malaysia to be able to differentiate truth from falsehoods in 14GE just as Pak Lah made the fatal mistake in 12GE in 2008 in underestimating the impact of Internet

Let me preface my speech with some observations about what the distinguished panelists have said this evening.

Firstly, the special appearance of the founder of Sarawak Report, Claire Brown from United Kingdom on Skype including a question-and-answer session with the audience in this hall highlights the futility of those in power to censor or control the flow of information in the Internet era.

Secondly, thanks to the government ban on The Malaysian Insider, more Malaysians have acquired the very simple skills of circumventing the Internet walls erected by Putrajaya to block access to The Malaysian Insider and other websites, with The Malaysian Insider becoming The Malaysian Outsider, getting acquainted with Unblocking sites and the “wide wide wide” world of Internet devoted to fighting all forms of Internet censorship. This is because all the secrets of overcoming Internet censorship can be mastered in a few minutes by searching the solutions on the Internet.

The CEO of Malaysiakini, Premesh Chandran had rightly cited the “tsunami” loss of UMNO/Barisan Nasional in the 12th General Election in 2008 to the Internet as the Prime Minister at the time, Tun Abdullah had subsequently admitted his “serious misjudgment” in underestimating the power of the Internet, losing the cyberwar to the Opposition. Continue reading “Najib making fatal mistake of underestimating the intelligence of Internet users in Malaysia to be able to differentiate truth from falsehoods in 14GE just as Pak Lah made the fatal mistake in 12GE in 2008 in underestimating the impact of Internet”

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Follow the money, if you can

Economist
Mar 5th 2016 | KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysia’s 1MDB affair – Investigators in several countries are trying to get to the bottom of Malaysia’s growing corruption scandal

IT WAS a striking move from a country better known for hiding iffy foreign wealth than for exposing it. Frustrated by a lack of co-operation from Malaysian counterparts, Switzerland’s attorney-general declared in late January that there were “serious indications” that $4 billion had gone astray from Malaysian state concerns, some of it into accounts held by current or former Malaysian and Middle Eastern officials. The announcement fuelled an already combustible scandal that has transfixed Malaysians, battered their prime minister, Najib Razak, and could yet ensnare banks around the world.

The allegations of misappropriation centre on a Malaysian state investment fund, from which it is suspected that large sums were siphoned by businessmen and officials with links to Mr Najib. It is thought that some of this was used to help his party win an election in 2013; some was spent on buying assets at questionable prices; and some of the remainder was moved to offshore shell companies and bank accounts. All those suspected of involvement, including Mr Najib, deny wrongdoing. None has been charged with a crime. Continue reading “Follow the money, if you can”

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The Najib effect

Economist
Mar 5th 2016

Not only Malaysians should be worried about rotten politics and a divisive prime minister

ONE of South-East Asia’s richest and hitherto most stable countries, Malaysia ought to be a beacon. Its constitution is liberal, and its brand of Islam generally tolerant. Its diverse, English-speaking population, combining ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians, gives it zest and vim. Yet under the prime minister, Najib Razak, the country is regressing at alarming speed. Its politics stinks, its economy is in trouble, and there are worrying signs that the government is not above stirring up ethnic and religious divisions.

For the past year allegations of corruption have swirled around Mr Najib. They centre around hundreds of millions of dollars that made their way into his bank accounts before the most recent general election, in 2013. Investigators are looking into whether the money is linked to a troubled state investment firm, 1MDB, whose advisory board Mr Najib chairs. He denies wrongdoing. His attorney-general has ruled that the money was a legal donation from an unnamed Saudi royal, and that much of it has been returned. Continue reading “The Najib effect”

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As Najib Razak digs in, disillusion among Malaysians grows

Economist
Mar 5th 2016 | KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysia’s scandals – The art of survival

ONLY standing room is left at the civic hall in Petaling Jaya in the western suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital. Inside 1,000-odd middle-class Malaysians have gathered to consider the fallout from a corruption scandal that has buffeted the country since July. “The whole world is laughing at us,” says a retiree watching from the back rows.

At the heart of the scandal are hundreds of millions of dollars that for unclear reasons entered bank accounts belonging to the prime minister, Najib Razak. You might think such a revelation would unseat Mr Najib and spell ruin for his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which has held power since independence. Instead, Mr Najib appears to have strengthened his grip, by purging critics within the cabinet and police. On February 29th the grand old man of Malaysian politics, Mahathir Mohamad, stormed out of the party in disgust. Dr Mahathir was prime minister for 22 years until 2003 and was once a fan of Mr Najib. No more. Continue reading “As Najib Razak digs in, disillusion among Malaysians grows”

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Lines finally drawn in fight for Malaysia

COMMENTARY BY JAHABAR SADIQ, EDITOR
The Malaysian Insider
4 March 2016

It took Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to force the issue for all Malaysians. He drew a line in the sand today, asking friends and foes to make up their minds once and for all.

Get on his side to “Save Malaysia” from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s government or be the enemy and part of the Najib Party – the ones defending the status quo as much as Dr Mahathir did when sacking Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim 18 years ago.

Anwar has signed up to support his mentor-turned-nemesis’s efforts. So has Lim Kit Siang and the DAP, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and the PKR gang, and activists such as Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Maria Chin Abdullah.

A total of 58 prominent Malaysians signed Dr Mahathir’s Citizens’ Declaration today. The only ones missing are those from PAS. Continue reading “Lines finally drawn in fight for Malaysia”