Today is the second day of Minister’s Question Time (MQT) which I am continuing to boycott in protest against the parliamentary charade pretending that Malaysia’s infamy for being a “global kleptocracy” does not exist.
I had again submitted a question for the MQT today to ask the Prime Minister what action the government was taking to cleanse and purge the national infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, a question which was not picked by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, as one of the three questions for answer during the MQT debut on Tuesday.
This question has again been rejected for the MQT today.
All over the world, the reverberations from Malaysia being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy as a result of the 1MDB global financial scandal continues unabated, but in Malaysia, Parliament is the latest recruit of the great national pretence that Malaysia’s infamy being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy as a result of the 1MDB global financial scandal does not exist.
The latest is In London, where the Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio has said he will cooperate with investigations of corruption allegations against Malaysia’s state investment fund 1MDB and his charitable foundation has pledged to return gifts or donations that came from the fund.
This follows a protest by anti-corruption activists from Malaysia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom against the Hollywood superstar in London at the premier of this climate change documentary “Beyond the Flood” this week.
The anti-corruption activists come from organisations including Malaysia’s Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) and London Bersih want DiCaprio to disclose and disavow his ties to associates of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is suspected of using state funds to finance the actor’s 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street” and to pay back all “dubious funds” received by his production company from Riza Aziz, the prime minister’s stepson, and financier Low Taek Jho.
After the Speaker’s ruling on Monday barring all questions on the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed on July 20 seeking forfeiture of US$1billion 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds on the ground that it is “sub judice”, the repeated rejection of my question for the MQT would appear to be part of a blatant and unashamed attempt to censor and outlaw all debate, discussion or question not only about the DOJ action but anything concerning 1MDB and infamy as a “global kleptocracy” in the Malaysian Parliament.
The Speaker should realise that the US DOJ action was taken under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative (KARI) and which is why Malaysia had ignominiously earned the epithet of a “global kleptocracy” – making Pandikar the Parliament Speaker of a global kleptocracy.
This is nothing to be proud of – in fact, it should be matter of great shame and outrage!
I reiterate that history will not look kindly at the 13th Parliament if it pretends that the 1MDB financial scandal and infamy of Malaysia as “global kleptocracy” are not burning issues at all.
I maintain that all patriotic Malaysians who love the country deeply and passionately must feel ashamed and outraged that since the May meeting of Parliament some five months ago, Malaysia had acquired the international infamy being a “global kleptocracy”, especially after the July 20 lawsuit initiated by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to forfeit over US$1 billion of 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds and the recent actions by the Swiss and Singapore financial regulatory authorities to either close down banks or institute criminal proceedings in connection with 1MDB money-laundering crimes.
Parliament must bear part responsibility if Malaysia TI CPI 2016 plunges not only because of Malaysia’s world-wide infamy as the newest global kleptocracy but Parliament’s shameful role in pretending that this problem does not exist.
(Media Conference Statement in Parliament on Thursday, 20th October 2016 at 12 noon)