The 33.9% of the popular vote for UMNO/BN and 16.6% of popular vote for PAS in the 14GE did not realise that their vote would be used to support or prop up a kleptocratic Malaysia

At the DAP breaking-of-fast in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, I was glad to meet for the first time after the 14th General Election some of the DAP Malay Members of Parliament and State Assembly representatives, including Member of Parliament for Raub, Tengku Zulpuri Shah bin Raja Puji;  Selangor State Assemblyman for  Dusun Tua, Edry Faizal Eddy Yusof and State Assemblywoman for Bandar Utama Jamaliah Jamaludin; Pahang State Assemblywoman for Ketari Young Syefura Othman (Rara) on an occasion which was attended by DAP Secretary-General and  Minister for Finance, Lim Guan Eng, and the other DAP leaders like the DAP National Chairman and MP for Cheras, Tan Kok Wai,  DAP Deputy Secretary-General and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok, National Publicity Secretary and MP for Damansara Tony Pua, DAP National Political Education Bureau Chairman Liew Chin Tong, MP for Segambut Hannah Yeoh, MP for Kota Kinabalu Chan Foong Hin, MP for Ipoh Timor Ong Kah Woh, MP for Taiping Teh Kok Lim and many others.

I have yet to meet after the historic May 9 poltical earthquake  the other DAP Malay State Exco/Assembly representatives, like  Johore State Exco Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali (Paloh), Malacca State Exco Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan  Batu); Penang State Exco Zairil Khir Johari (Tanjong Bunga) and State Assemblywoman for Seri Delima Syerleena Abdul Rashid and Perak State  Exco Dr. Abdul Aziz Bari (Tebing Tinggi).

But there is no doubt that the 14th General Election marked a major stride in the DAP’s struggle to fulfill the Malaysian Dream of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics, where Malaysia can purged themselves of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy; and become a “beacon of light for a disturbed and distracted world” by being a showcase of how a nation of diverse races, religions, languages and cultures can succeed as an united, harmonious, democratic, progressive and prosperous Malaysia.

In the 14th General Election, the DAP fielded the most representative and inclusive slate of candidates for the parliamentary and state assembly candidates in party history –  a total of 148 candidates comprising Chinese 108, Indian 23, Malay 10, KDM 3, Iban 3, Orang Asli 1.

DAP won 42 parliamentary seats and 101 State Assembly seats, with the following ethnic breakdown:

MPs – 42 (Chinese 32; Malay 1;  Indian 7; KDM 1: Dayak 1).

State Assembman/woman – 101 (Chinese  77; Malay 8; Indian 15; KDM – 1). [exluding 7 State Assemblyman won in the Sarawak state general election in 2016].

In the 14th General Election, Pakatan Harapan secured 48.3% of the popular vote, while Barisan Nasional secured 33.9% and PAS 16.6% of the popular vote.

However, I do not believe that 33.9% of the popular vote which supported Barisan Nasional, in particular UMNO, candidates would have done so if they fully understood that their vote would be regarded as a vote for Malaysia continuing as a global kleptocracy and the slew of abuses and excesses of power under the Najib premiership.

Similarly, I do not believe that there would be 16.6% of popular votes for PAS if these voters had realised that this popular vote would be used to prop up Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Miniser and Malaysia continuing as a global kleptocracy scorned and humiliated by the world.

The next five year will be challenging ones for it will afford an opportunity to reach out to the 50.5% of popular vote who did not vote for Pakatan Harapan in the 14GE  for they did not realise that their votes would be used to support or prop up a kleptocratic Malaysia – making Malaysia to continue as the laughing stock of the world.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 24th May 2018)

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Fresh Perlis state assembly election is one option to resolve the Perlis constitutional crisis

Fresh Perlis state assembly election is one option to resolve the two-week-long Perlis constitutional crisis which cropped up after the May 9 general election.

Barisan Nasional won 10 out of 15 state assembly seats in Perlis constituting two-thirds assembly majority, but a fresh Perlis state general election is likely to see a change of government in the state, so as to fall in step with the change of Malaysian Government in Putrajaya from UMNO/BN to the Pakatan Harapan coalition.

In the swearing-in ceremony yesterday, Azlan Man, the State Assemblyman for Bintong, took the oath of office before the Raja of Perlis as the Mentri Besar, but the ceremony was boycotted by the other nine UMNO/BN State Assemblymen.

Hours after the swearing-in, Azlan was sacked from UMNO, making his position as Perlis Mentri Besar quite untenable.

The constitutional crisis in Perlis has caught the majority of Malaysians by surprise, as they  had been more attuned to and focussed on the great changes unleashed by the political earthquake of  May 9, 2018 at the federal level.

One way to resolve the unseemly constitutional crisis in Perlis is for Azlan to request the Raja of Perlis to dissolve the Perlis State Assembly to pave the way for a fresh state general election.

In the May 9, 2018 General Election, BN won two-thirds majority of the Perlis State Assembly with some one-third of the popular vote, while Pakatan Harapan which won three seats secured 35 per cent of the popular vote and PAS won two seats with 26% of the popular vote.

If there is an immediate Perlis state general election, there is likely to be a shocking change of results as the 47,000 voters who voted for UMNO/BN would have realised the enormity of  the criminality and moral turpitude in the 1MDB international money-laundering scandal which gave Malaysia the infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy and the 31,000 votes who voted for PAS candidates would have the opportunity to realise that the “kingmaker” agenda of the PAS national leadership was to prop up a notorious global kleptocrat Datuk Seri Najib Razak to continue as Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The outcome of a new Perlis State Assembly election might be another state falling under the rule of Pakatan Harapan to implement its agenda to Save and Rebuild Malaysia.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 25th May 2018)

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How much is UMNO claiming from the multi-million ringgit  items seized by the police from the Pavilion Residences linked to Najib?

UMNO is seeking the return of funds which the police have seized, on the ground that they were being transferred to the new UMNO leadership following Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s resignation as UMNO President.

This is most intriguing, Does UMNO know how much it is claiming from the items seized by the police from the Pavilion Residences linked to Najib as belonging to UMNO, and if it is unable provide a list to enumerate the details on the total amount claimed, how can UMNO lay any claim to the funds seized by the police?

What about the 35 bags with jewellery and watches – is UMNO laying a claim to them on the ground that they belonged to UMNO?

What about the 284 boxes of designer handbags – is UMNO laying a claim to them as well?

The federal commercial crimes director Amar Singh has revealed that out of the 72 bags seized during the May 18 operation, 35 contained cash in 26 currencies.

He said it took 22 bank officers three days to count the RM114 million while the value of the items in the remaining 35 bags containing jewellery and watches have yet to be ascertained.

Does Najib know how much of the RM114 million in cash in the 35 bags seized by the Police were donations to  UMNO for the 14GE  – and if he does not know, what can there be any basis for UMNO to make such a claim?

Will a proper inventory of the UMNO claims be submitted to the Police, stating the amount of donations by the various individuals, confirmed and verified by the various donors on the respective donations involved?

If UMNO cannot submit such an inventory, then what  is the basis for any UMNO claim to the monies seized by the Police on the ground that they are donations to UMNO for the 14th General Elections?

If the monies seized by the Police were donations for UMNO for the 14th General Elections, why were  they dispersed like ill-gotten proceeds in the various Pavilion Residences?

Furthermore, if they were meant for UMNO for the 14th General Elections, why were they still around after the 14th General Elections were over?

Najib should declare the  total amount of donations collected by him  for UMNO for the 14th General Elections.

Be that as it may, if UMNO could have the time to lay claim to the monies seized by the Police in the recent 1MDB raids, the UMNO/BN leaders should state whether they have given instructions to all UMNO/BN political appointees to submit their resignations as UMNO/BN coalition had been decisively defeated in the 14GE?

Or are the MCA/Gerakan/MIC/UMNO/BN political appointees going to hang on to their political appointments for as long as possible until they are sacked by the new Malaysian Government?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Penang on Friday, 25th May 2018)

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Zahid, you are wrong. You are not starting off as a good Opposition Leader and must learn to be  constructive and honest

Let me tell the UMNO Acting UMNO President, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi – You are wrong. You are not starting off as a good Opposition Leader and must learn to be constructive and honest!

Zahid said on Tuesday that he believed that Barisan Nasional would be able to make a comeback against a government that is built on “hatred”, saying:

“A government that is built on hatred, on issues that (BN) could not respond to due to poor communication, or not being grounded in reality – eventually that government will be punished by the people.”

Speaking after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting on Tuesday, Zahid said BN can look to other countries where long-time parties were defeated but managed to make a comeback.

Firstly, Zahid should not follow the example of Datuk Seri Najib Razak who has not woken up from the  bubble of his own making despite his disaster of a fortnight ago in the political earthquake of May 9, 2018.

Zahid was in fact describing what the UMNO/National Front had degenerated into when entering the 14th General Election, as it was a government “built on hatred” and not “grounded in reality”, and why it was punished by the people in the May 9 political earthquake!

In fact, the UMNO/BN government did worse, it was not only built on hatred, it was swimming in lies, fake news and false information – and the worst example was undoubtedly the great lie about the  1MDB international scandal!

The first thing Zahid must do is to get out of the denial syndrome which has swamped the UMNO/BN leadership.

Deny that 1MDB and Malaysia’s infamy and ignominy of a “global kleptocracy”, the GST and rampant abuses of power, and the UMNO/BN leadership degenerating into a kakistocracy as the main causes of UMNO/BN worst defeat in their history?

Please do, for UMNO/BN will then never be able to follow the footsteps of other long-time parties in other countries which had managed to make a comeback after being defeated – like LDP of Japan, KMT of Taiwan or National Congress of India.

The first step for UMNO/BN to become a good opposition is to admit the enormity of the criminality and moral turpitude in the 1MDB scandal as well as other corruption scandals in the country.  So long as there is a mental block to acknowledge such corruption scandals, so long will UMNO/BN be unable to be a good and constructive opposition.

Both Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional must learn their new roles, the former as the government of Malaysia and the latter as a good and constructive Opposition.

There has been some controversy over the press conferences by the DAP Secretary-General and  new Finance Minister, Lim Guan Eng on the 1MDB scandal.

Bloomberg’s Andy Mukherjee wrote an article entitled “Malaysia needs tactful handling of 1MDB mess” yesterday.

I also received various messages, such as:

“It is wiser for Guan Eng to make statements that don’t sound like one coming from the Opposition before the change of Government. He is in the Government and the country would be better off with more economically positive pointers or narratives.”

I can agree that there should be “tactful handling of the 1MDB mess” but not if by being tactful one continues with the sea of lies, fake news and false information about 1MBD.

Tactful by all means, but it can be no excuse not to adhere strictly to the principles of truth, transparency and accountability in dealing with the 1MDB mess.

(Media Statement in Penang on Friday, 25th May 2018)

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Pakatan Harapan leaders, who made history on May 9, must ensure that history is made in Malaysia in the next five years to rebuild a New Malaysia with systemic and  institutional reforms accompanied by mindset changes

I congratulate the DAP Ministers, Chief Minister, State Executive Councillors and State Ministers for they were all history makers in the political earthquake of May 9, 2018 to achieve a Malaysian Dream which generations of Malaysians had not thought possible to see come true in their lifetime.

Now the hard work has started, for the Pakatan Harapan leaders who made history on May 9 must ensure that history is made in Malaysia in the next five year to rebuild a New Malaysia with systemic and institution reforms accompanied by mindset changes. Otherwise, they will become history!

We must never lose sight that Pakatan Harapan at the Federal and State level, where we are also State Governments, must be always be a  government for all Malaysians, regardless of whether they voted for Pakatan Harapan or otherwise – that we must truly serve all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics.

We want to  build a New Malaysia which is united, democratic, just and progressive.

For a thriving democracy, we must operate in  a new political environment and culture where checks and balances are institutionalised in our system of governance.

We just accept as our responsibilty the challenge to promote democratic processes, not only ensuring that there are check-and-balance mechanisms within governing parties but also by the Opposition, the media and the civil society.

We will not harass and persecute the Opposition as we had suffered in the past 52 years, for this will be against our beliefs in a democratic society.

Whether UMNO and the other Barisan Nasional parties which suffered their first national defeat in the 14th General Election can reform themselves to become effective opposition parties is  still to be seen, but Pakatan Harapan national and state governments must recognise the role and contribution of Opposition parties and dissent in the country.

In five years’ time, Pakatan Harapan will have to seek a new mandate from the voters –  a reminder that time is short for PH national and state governments to prove themselves that  we deserve a new mandate in five years’ time and not just to be a one-term national or state government.

(Speech to an assembly of DAP Ministers, Chief Minister, State Excos and State Ministers at DAP Hqrs, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 26th May 2018 at 12 noon)

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Why none of the leaders of  MCA, Gerakan, MIC or the other BN component parties dare to claim that the seized RM114 million are BN assets and not just UMNO assets?

One question which Malaysians are asking all over the country is why none of the leaders of MCA, Gerakan, MIC or the other Barisan Nasional component parties dare to claim that the RM114 million in 26 currencies seized by the Police from the Pavilion Residences are Barisan Nasional assets and not just UMNO assets?

This question reflects the nature for the so-called Barisan Nasional coalition, where one party is the hegemon and the other 12 component parties are mere minnows.

But other questions about the UMNO claim for the return of RM114 million in 26 currencies seized by the Police on the ground that they were being transferred to the new UMNO leadership following Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation as UMNO President cry for answer from the new UMNO leadership, viz:

1.     Why is the new UMNO leadership headed by Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein keeping strangely silent on this issue – is the UMNO claim made on behalf of the UMNO Supreme Council or a by a proxy on behalf of Najib?

2.     If the claim is made by UMNO, does UMNO know how much of the RM114 million in 26 currency belonged to UMNO?

3.     If this claim is not made with the sanction or authority of the new UMNO leadership, will the UMNO leadership repudiate such a claim – or it dare not say whether the claim is made with or without its authority and approval?

4.     Will the new UMNO leadership demonstrate that it is now committed to the principles of integrity, transparnecy and accountability, and ask the police to investigate the source of the RM114 million in 26 currencies seized from the Pavilion Residences, whether they were legitimate or not, and whether any money was given in return for certain projects awarded to them?

UMNO has still to clarify whether its claim is limited to  the RM114 million in 26 currencies from 35 bags seized by the police, or whether it extended to the 35 bags with jewellery and watches and the 284 boxes of designer handbags.

Be that as it may, these ill-gotten gains will be an acid test whether UMNO can break from its kleptocratic past and start anew as a clean and honest political party dedicated to the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability or whether there is way that UMNO can reform itself.

(Media Statement on Saturday, 26th May 2018)

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Let UMNO Supreme Council hold an emergency meeting to decide whether it is officially laying claim to the seized assets at Pavilion Residences, especially the RM114 million in 26 currencies, and accept the consequences of such a claim

Three days have passed and the top UMNO leadership led by Acting UMNO President Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and Acting UMNO Deputy President Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein have yet to confirm or deny that UMNO is officially laying claim to the assets seized by the police from the Pavilion Residences i.e. 72 bags out of which 35 bags contained  RM114 million cash in 26 different currencies and 35 bags of jewellery and watches as well as 284 boxes of designer handbags.

Three days ago, there was a mysterious statement  professing to be by  UMNO’s Strategic Communications Unit wanting the police to return money that was seized as it was UMNO party funds.

It  said UMNO badly needs the fund to rebuild itself after the 14th General Election  and that UMNO is seeking to  recover these funds, requesting the police to release and return them to the party after investigations are completed.

It said it was unfortunate that the funds were seized by police while being transferred to Umno’s acting leadership after Datuk Seri Najib Razak had resigned.

This is the first time anybody had heard of an UMNO Strategic Communications Unit. Was it legally formed by the UMNO Supreme Council or under the UMNO constitution? If so, when was it formed and who are the members of this UMNO Strategic Communications Unit?

So far, Malaysians have only heard of the Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications United headed by the former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who was mauled and defeated in the 14th General Election by the Warisan Candidate Azis Jamman, garnering less than 25% of the voter turnout.

Is the UMNO Strategic Communications Unit a phantom outfit or was it hastily formed by Najib before he was forced to resign  as UMNO President on May 12, 2018?

Let the UMNO Supreme Council hold an emergency meeting to decide whether the UMNO Strategic Communications Unit is authorized to speak on behalf of UMNO in laying claim to the seized Pavilion Residences assets, or whether it was another case of UMNO indiscipline like BN chairperson Shahidan Kassim’s unauthorized sacking of Azlan Man from UMNO, after he was sworn in as Perlis Mentri Besar by Raja of Perlis?

The time has come for the UMNO Supreme Council to hold an emergency meeting to decide whether it is officially laying claim to the seized assets at Pavilion Residences, especially the RM114 million in 26 currencies, and accept the consequences of such a claim.

What are the consequences of such an official claim by UMNO?

Some of these consequences require UMNO leaders to answer many questions, like the following posed by a member of the public:

“If the funds are Umno’s, why were they in suitcases? Why were they stored or transported to condominium units not belonging to an Umno official or treasurer?

“Why were they not placed in a banking account as is normal practise for any organisation? What are the origins of the cash?

“If they are Umno’s funds, what purpose was RM114 million kept in bags? What expenses were expected to be paid in cash for the elections which could not be paid via cheques and bank transfers?

“Why was the cash not maintained in a safe under the control of the party treasurer? Why did Umno only now claim ownership? Why did they not come forward at time of the seizure to stake their claim and make full disclosure of the amount?

“Why was cash kept in different currencies? What purpose was the cash in different currencies serve?”

But the most important consequence of such an UMNO claim would mean that UMNO is incapable  getting rid of the DNA of kleptocracy and money politics, and that the UMNO leadership, even without Najib, is incapable of making any contribution to rid Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy and therefore irrelevant to the hopes and aspirations of a New Malaysia which was born on May 9, 2018.

Finally, would there be any Barisan Nasional party apart from UMNO who would dare to requisition an emergency Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting to claim that the RM114 million in 26 currencies seized by the Police from the Pavilion Residences are Barisan Nasional assets and not just UMNO assets?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, May 27, 2018)

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Apandi must be prepared to face the sack if  he continues to stall from resigning honourably and with dignity as Attorney-General

Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali must be prepared to face the sack if he continues to stall from resigning honourably and with dignity as Attorney-General.

It is coming to three weeks since the watershed development of May 9, 2018 and his refusal to resign as Attorney-General is nothing but a  most untenable, unseemly and even indecent  hanging on  to the office of Attorney-General although he knows that the historic vote on May 9, 2018 was not only  a thumping verdict of no confidence in Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister but also on him as Attorney-General.

The constitutional stalemate  is in fact a reflection that he should not have been appointed as Attorney-General in the first place in the disastrous last week of July 2015.

To save him from further ignominy, Apandi should not exploit the constitutional niceties and loopholes but resolve the three-week  constitutional stalemate by submitting his resignation  without any ado.

What does Apandi think he has to gain from prolonging such a constitutional stalemate?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 28th May 2018)

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Najib is right for first time for a long while – it will not only not benefit him at all but will be a  great detriment to him to engage in a public discourse on the 1MDB scandal – the greatest global scam of recent times

Former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he does not see any benefit in engaging in a public discourse on the 1MDB and that he had been advised that it would be inappropriate to respond to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s questions regarding 1MDB.

Najib is right for the first time for a long while – it will not only not benefit him at all but will be a great detriment to him to engage in a public discourse with Guan Eng or anyone on the 1MDB scandal, undoubtedly the greatest global scam in recent times.

Najib’s survival instinct seems to have kicked in as he had been living in a bubble of his own and that of his highly-paid advisers’ creation, completely divorced from reality.

It is not that Najib is unaware that the 1MDB is his Achilles’ heel but his greatest failure in life is to believe in the fairy tales of  his highly-funded advisers that it is possible to bamboozle the country about the 1MDB scandal and that he could prove Hans Christian Anderson wrong and could get away with immunity and impunity by being a modern-day Emperor without clothes!

Although in retrospect, it is  the height of folly in the information age when information travels at the speed of light and the attempt to cordon  off and sanitise Malaysia from the barrage of global  information in the Internet  era is as foolish as King Canute trying to command the tide from rising,  it should be very sobering that Najib nearly came to succeeding in his grand conspiracy of silence and kleptocracy to the extent that he was convinced on the eve of Polling Day that he could not only win big but even regain parliamentary two-thirds majority for UMNO/BN!

Najib’s belated realization that that it will not benefit him to discuss the 1MDB is in sharp contrast to his hubris during the general election when unleashed Arul Kanda Kandasamy on a 1MDB roadshow during the 14th General Election Campaign.

This was why a week before polling on May 2, 2018, I said in my media statement:

“New Straits Times today carried an extraordinary headline: ‘Ask me anything, Arul Kanda tells DAP leaders’ on the invitation of the 1MDB Chief Executive Officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy to DAP leaders to a townhall session in Penang to explain issues about the 1MDB.

“Let me tell Arul – that he is at least two years too late. Furthermore, nobody is interested in Arul’s fairy tales about the 1MDB scandal, as the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should step forward to account fully for the 1MDB ‘kleptocracy at its worst’ which has landed Malaysia with the ignominy, infamy and iniquity as a global kleptocracy!

“In the past 16 days, Arul was suddenly holding court almost everyday, purportedly seeking to explain the various facets of the octopian 1MDB money-laundering scandal.

“I was surprised that Arul had suddenly become a daily publicity-seeker on the 1MDB scandal but now it is obvious it was all part of Najib’s 14th General Election strategy to pull the wool over everybody’s eyes, neutralise any Pakatan Harapan offensive on the 1MDB scandal and to remove the sting from multi-faceted octopian scandal of the 1MDB “kleptocracy at its worst” – to use the description of the United States Attorney-General Jeff Sessions.

“Why didn’t Najib, who must legally, politically and personally bear full responsibility for the 1MDB scandal, tell Malaysians and the world in the past three years: Ask me anything about the 1MDB?

“Instead, even Parliament was prevented from probing the truth of the 1MDB scandal, and MPs were not allowed to ask questions or debate the 1MDB scandal.

“I was twice suspended from Parliament for six months, both occasions basically related in the 1MDB scandal. In the last meeting of the 13th Parliament, I was virtually treated as a parliamentary ‘ghost’ by the Speaker and the Deputy Speakers who claimed that they could not see me although I was sitting in the parliamentary front row and attended Parliament daily and diligently for the last six days of the meeting.

“Now suddenly, the 1MDB wanted to explain everything about the ‘kleptocracy at its worst’ although they were doing their utmost for over three years to keep the scandal under wraps.

“Even the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was not allowed to probe Najib’s role in the 1MDB scandal, which is why Najib dared not accept my challenge for him to publicly quote chapter and verse in the PAC Report on 1MDB where the PAC had cleared him of any wrongdoing in 1MDB!

“But the present preparedness to tell everything about the octopian 1MDB scandal did not come from Najib, but from the highly-paid 1MDB hack, the 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy.

“Before Arul deserves any attention, let him declare how much remuneration he had received for being 1MDB CEO, not only his monthly pay and allowances, but all the perks and privileges he received and would be receiving as 1MDB CEO and all other agreed terms of his remuneration.

“Is Arul prepared to declare all the remuneration he had received and would be receiving as 1MDB CEO, performing the role as public defender of the octopian 1MDB kleptocracy?

“Strangely enough, thanks to Arul, the octopian 1MDB ‘kleptocracy at its worst’ has returned to the forefront of issues for the 14th General Election.

“I challenge everyone of the 730-odd Barisan Nasional parliamentary and state assembly candidates to declare before Polling Day on Wednesday, 9th May 2018 that they want full investigations into the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal, which spans the globe, causing Malaysia the ignominy, infamy and iniquity of a global kleptocray.

“This will be a crucial test as to whether the 730-odd BN parliamentary and State assembly candidates are men and women of principle and substance who are prepared to subordinate their self-interests of being elected as MP or State Assembly representative to the greater interests of saving Malaysia from becoming a kleptocratic state and rogue democracy.

“Let us see whether there is anyone among the 730-odd BN parliamentary and State assembly candidates, whether from UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan or anyone of the Sarawak and Sabah component parties of Barisan Nasional who are prepared to break ranks with Najib because the UMNO/BN leadership must bear full and final responsibility for the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy.

“Najib believes that he could get away from full accounting for the 1MDB scandal in the 14th general election, by allowing Arul to run riot on his 1MDB roadshow, obfuscating and censoring detailed examination and debate of what the US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions had described as ‘kleptocracy at its worst’.

“If Najib succeeds in burying the 1MDB scandal as an important issue in the 14th General Election, the 1MDB scandal would become not only the ‘heist of the century’ but the biggest electoral fraud in Malaysian history.”

Malaysians must thank their lucky stars as well as their patriotism and love of their country in saving Malaysia from a failed, rogue and kleptocratic future.

But Najib should explain if he has nothing to hide, and the 1MDB scandal is not “kleptocracy at its worst”, why has he reverted from the “Tell All” stance of “Ask anything about 1MDB”  during  the 14th General Election to a “Total Clampdown” when at this late stage,  he should come completely clean about the 1MDB scandal, to salvage whatever is possible of his public persona, reputation and credibility?

Furthermore, who will be the first from the 730-odd BN parliamentary and state assembly candidates in the 14th General Election  who will break ranks with Najib to demand that the former Prime Minister  should come clean on the 1MDB scandal?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, May 29, 2018)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 29 May 2018, 10:49 am and is filed under
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New Malaysia must not only purge the epithet of “global kleptocracy” but we must be recognized by the world as a leading nation of integrity

Malaysia was reborn on 9th May 2018.

History was not only made on that day, the Pakatan Harapan PACAs (Polling Agent/Counting Agent) volunteers throughout the country became history-makers.

But work for the rebirth of Malaysia is not done, but only at the beginning. I invite the some 100,000 PACA volunteers who helped make history on May 9 to take a greater part in shaping national events to ensure that with the historic and watershed event on May 9, we continue to make history and do not become history!

From the moving, touching and unforgettable accounts of the  representatives of various sections of the Pakatan Harapan Segambut campaign of the historic eleven days from Nomination Day on April 28 to Polling Day on May 9; the story of the blood, sweat and tears of Malaysians in the 14th General Election; we can feel the energy, spirit, hope and dream that is the very essence of being a Malaysian –  where we forgot our differences, whether racial, religious, regional or socio-economic and worked for  the common goal for the fulfillment of the Malaysian Dream where Malaysia will be a better country and all Malaysians can feel proud as a Malaysian.

For those memorable eleven days, Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region or socio-economic position, never felt so Malaysian. But this exhilarating experience of never felt so Malaysian must not be limited to the 11 days of the 14th General Election, but should be the everyday experience of our lives!

And on May 9, unbelievably, all Malaysians stood tall in the world and never felt so proud as Malaysians  – Malaysians in the country and all over the world in the Malaysian Diaspora.

Tunku Abdul Rahman’s hope when Merdeka was achieved in 1957 and Malaysia formed in 1963 that our nation can be “a beacon of light in a troubled and difficult world” was given substance and meaning.

But this should not be like fireworks which vanishes into  the dark sky on the night of May 9, as we want the world to regard  Malaysia as a “beacon on light in troubled and difficult world” not just for one day, but in the coming years in the international community of nations.

Much work needs to be done to reset nation-building directions and policies which had trapped the country in the trajectory towards a failed, rogue and kleptocratic Malaysia.

One of the immediate objectives and challenges is to build a New Malaysia which could  purge the country of the epithet of global kleptoracy and be recognized  by the world as a leading nation of integrity.

Under the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2017, Malaysia  plunged to the lowest TI CPI ranking in 23 years –  No. 62 out of 180 countries.

The history of the 23-year annual TI CPI from 1995-2017 shows that Malaysia had stagnated and even regressed in integrity and principles of accountability and good governance in the past two decades as compared to some countries, like China and Indonesia, which had made significant improvements with steady strides.

In the first year of TI CPI in 1995, which listed only 41 countries, Malaysia was ranked in the middling position of No. 23 with a score above the midpoint – i.e. 5.28 in a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean).

China and Indonesia came in at the bottom end, with China ranked as No. 40 with a score of 2.16 out of 10 while Indonesia came in last ranking No. 41 out of 41 with a score of 1.94.

If Malaysia had made a decimal improvement in the TI CPI score of 0.1 point each year the past 22 years, Malaysia’s present score would have been 7.58, or roughly translated into 75.8 out of a scale increased from 10 to 100, which would have placed Malaysia in the rank of No. 16 out of 180 countries.

Unfortunately, Malaysia’s 2017 TI CPI ranking and score had worsened, ranked No. 62 out of 180 countries with the TI CPI score plunging further down below the midpoint to 47/100 in the revised scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

In contrast, both China and Indonesia have continued to make significant improvements in the TI CPI in the past 23 years, with China improving its score from 2.16/10 in 1995 (under the original scale) to 41/100 (revised scale) with its TI CPI Ranking improving from No. 40/41 in 1995 to 77/180 in 2017 and while Indonesia upped its score from 1.94/10 (old scale) in 1995 to 37/100 (new scale), with TI CPI ranking from 41/41 in 1995 to 96/180.

If China continues to improve its TI CPI score at the annual average rate of 0.84 points (old scale) in the past 23 years, China would overtake Malaysia in both TI CPI ranking and score in eight years time (41 + 6.7 = 47.7) without Malaysia regressing further in TI score (which is a tall order under Najib’s global kleptocracy!).

In the past 23 years, Indonesia’s improvement on the TI CPI score is lower than China, making an average annual improvement of 0.76 (old scale). Without Malaysia further regressing, Indonesia will overtake Malaysia in both TI ranking and score in 14 years time, when it would have registered a score of 37 + 10.6 = 47.6.

I do not want to see China and Indonesia slow down in their upward climb up the TI CPI ranking and score, but Malaysia must improve substantially so that we  not only eradicate the “kleptocratic” label but become a leading nation of integrity by being among the first top countries of integrity in the annual TI CPI.

To do this, we must not only get to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal, “kleptocracy at its worst”, and other major corruption scandals involving MARA, FELDA,

Tabung Haji, even more important, we must  introduce structural and institutional  reforms as well  mind-set changes throughout our society  so that we have a zero-tolerance for corruption.

(Speech at the Segambut  PACA Volunteers Appreciation Night at Bukit Damansara, Segambut on Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9 pm)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 29 May 2018, 4:16 pm and is filed under
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Is Apandi Ali going to create dubious history by denying Malaysia with an Attorney-General for more than a month in a most crucial period in the nation’s history?

I said two days ago that Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali must be prepared to face the sack if he continues to stall from resigning honourably and with dignity as Attorney-General.

Is Apandi Ali going to create dubious history by denying Malaysia with an Attorney-General for more than a moth in a most crucial period in the nation’s history?

Today marks the full three weeks since the watershed day on May 9  when Malaysians surprised the world that they are capable of national self-correction and self-renewal by effecting a peaceful and democratic transition of power, placing Malaysia firmly on the path of a normal democracy.

It was not only a vote for no confidence for the Prime Minister and the UMNO/BN government, but more specifically, against the Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali because of the AG’s central and extraordinary role in  one of the primary issues of the 14th General Election – the  1MDB interntional money-laundering scandal resulting in Malaysia being stained worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

I fully agree with the Amanah MP for Sepang, Hanipa Maidin, that the  power accorded to the attorney-general to determine not to initiate criminal proceedings cannot protect the latter if he is found to have abused that discretion in order to protect criminals.

Hanipa Maidin is only stating a truism when he said that while the discretion to decide on criminal charges was accorded to attorney-generals in the constitution, there was no such thing as “absolute discretion”, especially if discretion was misused.

However, the question whether Apandi Ali is liable to criminal prosecution for misusing his discretionary powers as Attorney-General should not  under any circumstances or in any way be linked with  the issue of his resignation as Attorney-General when there is a change of Government in a general election, especially when it is clear that the Attorney-General has been given a thumping vote of no confidence by the electorate and that he enjoys zero confidence by the new government.

Any other interpreation or action by exploiting any constitutional loophole or nicety to create a constitutional stalemate would tantamout to holding the new govenrment and the national electorate to hostage to  nullify  the verdict of the national electorate, making  nonsense of the concept of constitutional government in a parliamentary democracy.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 30th May 2018)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 30 May 2018, 3:28 pm and is filed under
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The desperado politics of fear, hate, lies, race and religion of UMNO/BN in the 14GE was the culmination of years of  indoctrination of racism, bigotry, intolerance and extremism by National Civics Bureau (BTN) and why BTN  has no place in a New Malaysia

The desperado politics of fear, hate, lies, race and religion of UMNO/BN in the 14th General Election is the culmination of  years of  indoctrination of racism, bigotry, intolerance and extremism by the National Civics Bureau (BTN) and why BTN has no place in a New Malaysia.

It is no exaggeration to say that never before in previous thirteen  general elections since 1959 had the country seen such intensity and viciousness in the politics of fear, hate, lies, race and religion as in the 14th General Election, reflecting the  racism, bigotry, intolerance and extremism which had been the staple diet of BTN, to pit race against race and religion against religion instead of promoting the Malaysian Dream of a plural nation of diverse races, religions, cultures and languages.

From a bureau which should be dedicated to promote national civic consciousness in a plural society, the BTN degenerated over time into a propaganda outfit to brainwash civil servants and youngsters into mindless defenders of the UMNO/Barisan Nasional regime  – even to the extent of supporting a kleptocratic regime!

It would appear that those responsible for BTN were blissfully unaware of the five principles of the Rukunegara and were the greatest opponents of Rukunegara, resulting in the BTN becoming the greatest obstacle to national unity.

It is most timely that the government is studying whether to abolish the BTN as it has only  served the  petty partisan UMNO/BN interests and failed to serve the national interest.

This is the reason why I had long advocated the abolition of BTN.

In 2016, the newly-appointed BTN director-general Ibrahim Saad said that BTN would undergo a rebranding exercise that aimed to dispel perceptions it was racist.

Ibrahim Saad could not be more wrong. The problem with BTN was not about rebranding or its “perception” that it was racist, but about  its ration d’etre – negative, divisive and anti-national role inciting racism, disunity, bigotry and intolerance instead of fostering patriotism, unity, inter-racial and inter-religious understanding and goodwill.

Even for former top Malay civil servants in G25 have condemned BTN of being “ultra Malay-racist” and have joined the growing chorus demanding the dissolution of the “anti-national” BTN.

Over the years,  Biro Tata Negara (BTN) had become a Bureau Tentang Nasional, aggravating instead of narrowing the racial and religious polarisation in our plural society.

BTN’s great failure was  its refusal to  leverage on the unique position of Malaysia as a confluence of the great religions and civilisations of the world, to spread and disseminate the best values from the various religions and civilisations.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, May 30, 2018)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 30 May 2018, 2:27 pm and is filed under
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Malaysians are entitled to know how many of the heads of  tens of thousands of GLCs in the country are paid millionaire or near millionaire salaries

The Transport Minister, Anthony Loke shocked Malaysians with his revelation that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mycom) executive chairman Abdullah Ahmad earns a monthly salary of RM85,000, which is more than four times the basic salary of the Prime Minister.

Malaysians are entltled to know how many of the heads of the tens of thousands of government-linked companies (GLCs) in the country are paid millionaire or near-millionaire salaries.

Let  there be transparency and public accountability in the wages of the GLC heads. There should be a website where the salaries and remuneration of all GLC heads and members are easily available to the public.

Out of the tens of thousands of the GLCs in the country, how many of them are filled with political appointees and how many of these UMNO/BN political appointees have resigned since the historic watershed development on May 9, 2018 which saw the first peaceful and democratic transition of power at the federal level in the nation’s history.

Exactly, how many GLCs, whether at the federal or at the various state government levels, are there in the country.

Is there anyone in the country who can furnish the answers, and whether the tens of thousands of GLCs in the country should continue or should there be structural and institutional reforms to do away with these GLCs?

In this connection, I am reminded of my media statement a week before the 14th General Election Polling Day on May 9, 2018, where I specifically asked Arul Kanda Kandasamy to declare how much was his remuneration as  1MDB CEO, not only his monthly pay and allowances, but all the perks and privileges he received and would be receiving as 1MDB CEO and all other agreed terms of his remuneration.

I had asked whether Arul was prepared to declare all the remuneration he had received and would be receiving as 1MDB CEO, performing the role as public defender of the octopian 1MDB kleptocracy?

I made this call when I responded to the New Straits Times report a week before Polling Day which carried the headline: “Ask me anything, Arul Kanda tells DAP leaders” on Arul’s invitation to DAP leaders to a townhall session in Penang to explain issues about the 1MDB.

I told  Arul that he was at least two years too late. Furthermore, nobody was interested in Arul’s fairy tales about the 1MDB scandal, as the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should step forward to account fully for the 1MDB “kleptocracy at its worst” which has landed Malaysia with the ignominy, infamy and iniquity as a global kleptocracy!

Arul is a very intelligent person but he should have learnt from the Faustian legend.

In any event, the 1MDB “kleptocracy at its worst” has entered into a new chapter – no thanks to Arul, of course – after May 9, 2018 as evidenced by the meeting today between Malaysian and Singapore officials on the probe into the 1MDB scandal.

The saying of “Man proposes, God disposes” is never more apt in the case of the 1MDB scandal.

(Media Statement in Iskandar Puteri on Thursday, 31st May 2018)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 31 May 2018, 6:35 pm and is filed under
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New Malaysia needs a National Integrity Plan which will transform Malaysia from a global kleptocracy into a leading nation of integrity within 10 years

New Malaysia needs a National Integrity Plan which will transform Malaysia from a global kleptocracy into a leading nation of integrity within 10 years.

This National Integrity Plan for a New Malaysia should be debated and adopted by Parliament.

We should see results in the National Integrity Plan for a New Malaysia hopefully in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2018 but steady and solid improvements in the from TI CPI 2019 without any turning back or the MACC Chief Commissioner and the members of the various anti-corruption monitoring bodies must assume personal responsibility to Parliament and the nation.

Under the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2017, Malaysia  plunged to the lowest TI CPI ranking in 23 years –  No. 62 out of 180 countries.

The history of the 23-year annual TI CPI from 1995-2017 shows that Malaysia had stagnated and even regressed in integrity and principles of accountability and good governance in the past two decades as compared to some countries, like China and Indonesia, which had made significant improvements with steady strides.

In the first year of TI CPI in 1995, which listed only 41 countries, Malaysia was ranked in the middling position of No. 23 with a score above the midpoint – i.e. 5.28 in a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean).

China and Indonesia came in at the bottom end, with China ranked as No. 40 with a score of 2.16 out of 10 while Indonesia came in last ranking No. 41 out of 41 with a score of 1.94.

If Malaysia had made a decimal improvement in the TI CPI score of 0.1 point each year the past 22 years, Malaysia’s present score would have been 7.58, or roughly translated into 75.8 out of a scale increased from 10 to 100, which would have placed Malaysia in the rank of No. 16 out of 180 countries.

Unfortunately, Malaysia’s 2017 TI CPI ranking and score had worsened, ranked No. 62 out of 180 countries with the TI CPI score plunging further down below the midpoint to 47/100 in the revised scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

In contrast, both China and Indonesia have continued to make significant improvements in the TI CPI in the past 23 years, with China improving its score from 2.16/10 in 1995 (under the original scale) to 41/100 (revised scale) with its TI CPI Ranking improving from No. 40/41 in 1995 to 77/180 in 2017 and while Indonesia upped its score from 1.94/10 (old scale) in 1995 to 37/100 (new scale), with TI CPI ranking from 41/41 in 1995 to 96/180.

 If China continues to improve its TI CPI score at the annual average rate of 0.84 points (old scale) in the past 23 years, China would overtake Malaysia in both TI CPI ranking and score in eight years time (41 + 6.7 = 47.7) without Malaysia regressing further in TI score (which is a tall order under Najib’s global kleptocracy!).

In the past 23 years, Indonesia’s improvement on the TI CPI score is lower than China, making an average annual improvement of 0.76 (old scale). Without Malaysia further regressing, Indonesia will overtake Malaysia in both TI ranking and score in 14 years time, when it would have registered a score of 37 + 10.6 = 47.6.

I do not want to see China and Indonesia slow down in their upward climb up the TI CPI ranking and score, but Malaysia must improve substantially so that we  not only eradicate the “kleptocratic” label but become a leading nation of integrity by being among the first top countries of integrity in the annual TI CPI.

To do this, we must not only get to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal, “kleptocracy at its worst”, and other major corruption scandals involving MARA, FELDA, Tabung Haji, even more important, we must  introduce structural and institutional  reforms as well  mind-set changes throughout our society  so that we have a zero-tolerance for corruption.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday 31st May 2018)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 31 May 2018, 8:09 am and is filed under
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Something very wrong with  constitutional check-and balance when Attorney-General can hold the country to hostage refusing to resign when there is a change of government and when he enjoys zero public confidence

Something is very wrong with the constitutional check-and-balance system when the Attorney-General can hold the country to hostage refusing to resign when there is a change of government and when he enjoys zero public confidence.

This is why New Malaysia is entering the fourth week without one of the most important officials – the Attorney-General –  especially at a time when there must be far-reaching structural and institutional reforms in the country to reset nation-building policies and directions.

The Amanah MP for Sepang, Hanipa Maidin,  is right that the  power accorded to the attorney-general to determine not to initiate criminal proceedings cannot protect the latter if he is found to have abused that discretion in order to protect criminals.

Whether Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali is liable to criminal prosecution for misusing his discretionary powers as Attorney-General is however a very different question from the issue of his resignation as Attorney-General when there is a change of Government in a general election, especially when it is clear that apart from the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak,  the Attorney-General himself had been given a thumping vote of no confidence by the electorate.

The recent revelation by the new Chief Commissioner of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Mohd Shukri Abdull that the MACC and the United States’ Department of Justice’ (DOJ) investigations into the 1MDB scandal are “almost similar” has restored the relevance,  legitimacy and soundness of the US DOJ litigation on the 1MDB international money-laundering scam and further undermined Apandi Ali’s position and credibility.

Apandi had  cleared former premier Najib of any wrongdoing in the RM2.6 billion donation in Najib’s personal accounts.

He should have  read the ten “killer paragraphs” in the US DOJ’s 1MDB kleptocratic suit to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets, i.e. Paragraph 339 to 348 under the section “$681 MILLION WAS TRANSFERRED FROM THE TANORE ACCOUNT TO AN ACCOUNT BELONGING TO MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” on the crime of money-laundering, which  linked Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” to 1MDB money-laundering, debunking the claim that they were donations from Saudi Arab royalty and that US$620 million had been returned to Saudi Arabian donor.

(Media Statement in Iskandar Puteri on Friday, June 1, 2018)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 1 June 2018, 6:01 pm and is filed under
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Apandi will be assured of a place in the 1MDB rogues’ gallery with Najib, Jho Low and Arul Kanda if he continues to defy national and international opinion and refuses to resign as Attorney-General

Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali  will be assured of a place in the 1MDB rogues’ gallery with Najib Razak, Jho Low and Arul Kanda  if he continues to defy national and international opinion and refuses to resign as Attorney-General.

When the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on June 15, 2017 filed additional civil forfeiture proceedings to recover a total of US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets, making it the largest action brought under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, the Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali came out with a statement within hours to declare  that there was nothing new and to express his regret about “insinuations” against the Prime Minister in the DOJ’s latest 1MDB forfeiture suit.

Apandi was telling a lie to claim that “there was nothing new” in the additional litigation proceedings of the US DOJ, and this was why I issued a statement on June 16, 2017 asking whether Apandi had read the ten “killer paragraphs” in US DOJ’s latest 1MDB kleptocratic suit to forfeit 1MDB-assets which directly linked Najib’s RM2.6 billion donation to 1MDB, and if so, how could he suggest that there was nothing new?

I had said at the time that the additional US DOJ litigation on 1MDB did not make any insinuations about the  then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, but “open and direct charge … that the Prime Minister had lied when he claimed that the RM2.6 billion donations had come from Saudi Arabian royalty!”

I said Apandi cannot be more wrong when he suggested that there was nothing new in the expanded DOJ kleptocratic suit.

I said:

“Apart from the titillating and tantalizing information about what another 1MDB king-pin Jho Low did with the US$620 million which Najib was supposed to have returned to the Saudi Arabia royal donor, Apandi should ask whether Najib can continue as Prime Minister if he allows the ten ‘killer paragraghs’ in the latest DOJ kleptocratic suit to stand unchallenged.

“I am referring to Paragraph 339 to 348

 under the section ‘$681 MILLION WAS TRANSFERRED FROM THE TANORE ACCOUNT TO AN ACCOUNT BELONGING TO MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1.’”

The ten “killer paragraphs” referred to the transfer in March 2013  of US$681 million to the Kuala Lumpur account in AmBank  of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 from the Tanore account in Singapore, one  of the 1MDB spider-web of accounts.

Para 341 said: “This account belonged to MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 and is the same account that in 2011 received US$20 million from the Saudi Account that was traceable to the Good Star Account, as set forth in Section II.G. It is also the same account that in 2012 received at least US$30 million from the Blackstone Account that was traceable to the Aabar-BVI Swiss Account and the 2012 bond proceeds,  as set forth in Section III.E.3”.

Para 345 referred to the return of US$620 million on or about August 26, 2013  from the AmBank account of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 to the Tanore accoiunt in Singapore.

Paragraph 346 of the DOJ litigation said:

“As discussed in Part VI.CC below, a portion of the US$620 million that MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 ‘returned’ to the Tanore Account was passed through various additional accounts controlled by TAN and LOW and was ultimately used to purchase a 22-carat pink diamond pendant and necklace for the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1. The necklace was commissioned in July 2013, after the jeweller met with LOW, HUSSEINY, and the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 in Monaco. The purchase price of US$27,300,000 was paid on or about September 10, 2013, using funds traceable to the US$620 million payment from MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 to Tanore.”

Apandi committed a grave dereliction of duty as Attorney-General  in not directing that the various enforcement agencies  pursue the leads on the 1MDB scandal from the latest US DOJ forfeiture litigation on June 15, 2017, and instead, claimed that  there was “nothing new” and expressing regret about “insinuations” against the Prime Minister in the DOJ’s latest 1MDB forfeiture suit.

Apandi could have easily discovered whether there was any truth in these ten killer paragraphs in the latest US DOJ litigation if he had sought assistance from the US and/or Singapore authorities – which he and the enforcement agencies strenuously refused to do.

It was only after the historic watershed 14th General Election of May 9, 2018 which witnessed the first peaceful and democratic transition of power in Malaysia that the enormity of the criminality and moral turpitude resulting in the  international money-laundering scandal, which had made Malaysia a global kleptocracy and an international laughing stock, could be unravelled.

The whole sordid tale of the 1MDB scandal has still to be told but what is clear is the shocking abdication of responsibility and loss of moral moorings of key government leaders.

Will Apandi rank with Najib, Jho Low and even Arul Kanda Kandasamy as the national rogues in the 1MDB scandal?

Whatever the outcome, it is just wrong and abhorrent that Apandi has refused to resign as Attorney-General.

When will the former Federal Court judge come to his senses and regain the decency to submit his resignation as Attorney-General without any further delay?

(Media Statement in Iskandar Puteri on Saturday, June 2, 2018)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 2 June 2018, 8:12 am and is filed under
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Tunku Abdul Rahman’s behest to all Malaysians 61 years ago  to create a new nation inspired by the ideals of justice and liberty and be “a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world”  should be the motto for all Pakatan Harapan Federal and State Governments

Malaysia was reborn on 9th May 2018.

History was made on that day, but the rebirth of Malaysia is only at the beginning.

There is a formidable catalogue of work that must be done to ensure that a New Malaysia is born, that we continue to make history and do not become history!

During  the eleven days of the  14th General Election, we can feel the energy, spirit, hope and dream that is the very essence of being a Malaysian –  where we forgot our differences, whether racial, religious, regional or socio-economic and worked for  the common goal for the fulfilment of the Malaysian Dream where Malaysia will be a better country and all Malaysians can feel proud as a Malaysian.

For those memorable eleven days, Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region or socio-economic position, never felt so Malaysian. But this exhilarating experience of never felt so Malaysian must not be limited to the 11 days of the 14th General Election, but should be the everyday experience of our lives!

It is no exaggeration to say that never before in previous thirteen  general elections since 1959 had the country seen such intensity and viciousness in the politics of fear, hate, lies, race and religion as in the 14th General Election.

Despite all these poison in the election campaign and the other insuperable and undemocratic odds, the historic watershed results of the 14th General Elections bringing about for the first time a peaceful and democratic transition in Malaysia gives hope that the future of Malaysia is not dark and gloomy, which is why many Malaysians dare again to dream big, and the Malaysian Dream which many have given up, is back on the Malaysian National Agenda.

When the country achieved Merdeka in 1957, Bapa Malaysia and the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman called on all citizens to dedicate themselves to the service of the new nation and “to work and strive with hand and brain to create a new nation, inspired by the ideals of justice and liberty – a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world”.

Let this behest of Tunku Abdul Rahman 61 years ago  be the motto of all Pakatan Harapan Federal and State Governments.

In the 14th General Election, Pakatan Harapan secured 48.3% of the popular vote, while Barisan Nasional secured 33.9% and PAS 16.6% of the popular vote.

However, I do not believe that 33.9% of the popular vote which supported Barisan Nasional, in particular UMNO, candidates would have done so if they fully understood that their vote would be regarded as a vote for Malaysia continuing as a global kleptocracy and the slew of abuses and excesses of power under the Najib premiership.

Similarly, I do not believe that there would be 16.6% of popular votes for PAS if these voters had realised that this popular vote would be used to prop up Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Prime Minister and Malaysia continuing as a global kleptocracy scorned and humiliated by the world.

The next five year will be challenging ones for it will afford an opportunity to Pakatan Harapan both at the federal and state levels  to reach out to the 50.5% of popular vote who did not vote for Pakatan Harapan in the 14GE for they did not realise that their votes would be used to support or prop up a kleptocratic Malaysia – making Malaysia to continue as the laughing stock of the world.

(Speech at the retreat for DAP Johore MPs, State Excos and State Assembly members at Le Grandeur, Palm Resort Johor on Saturday, 2nd June 2018 at 10 am)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 2 June 2018, 12:35 pm and is filed under
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Apandi’s refusal to resign as Attorney-General setting bad example to other political appointees, particularly UMNO/BN Senators

The refusal of Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali to submit an honourable and dignified resignation as Attorney-General despite the watershed and historic political change in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 with the first democratic and peaceful transition of power in Malaysia has set the worst  possible example to all UMNO/BN political appointees.

Although he knows that he enjoys zero confidence in the new Pakatan Harapan government of Malaysia, Apandi’s hanging on to his office is being used by other UMNO/BN political appointees to hang on to their posts, although they know they have no moral claim or authority any more  to these political appointments.

This is best seen among the political appointees in the Dewan Negara, as it is some four weeks since the fall of the UMNO/BN government on May 9, 2018, but not a single UMNO/BN appointed Senator has resigned from their Senate appointment.

However, we still see righteous statements from these Senators who have forfeited all moral authority to speak – like the MCA Senator Chai Kim Sen.

Who will be the first UMNO/BN Senator  who will submit honourable and dignified resignation from the Senate?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 3rd June 2018)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 June 2018, 11:51 pm and is filed under
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Rafidah’s advocacy of “ketuanan Malaysia” as a more inclusive concept for all Malaysians should be welcomed by Malaysians who want Malaysia to fulfill her destiny as “a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world”

Former Wanita  UMNO Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz’s advocacy of “ketuanan Malaysia” as a more inclusive concept for all Malaysians should be welcomed by Malaysians to want Malaysia to fulfill her destiny as “a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world”.

These were the founding ideals when our nation achieved Merdeka in 1957 and Malaysia was formed in 1963, to be “an independent and sovereign democratic State founded upon liberty and justice, ever seeking to defend and uphold peace and harmony among its people and to perpetuate peace among nations”, where all citizens dedicate themselves “to work and strive with hand and brain to create a new nation, inspired by the ideals of justice and liberty – a beacon of light in disturbed and distracted world”.

It is no exaggeration to say that never before in previous thirteen  general elections since 1959 had the country seen such intensity and viciousness in the politics of fear, hate, lies, race and religion as in the 14th General Election.

Despite all these poison in the election campaign and the other insuperable and undemocratic odds, the historic watershed results of the 14th General Election bringing about for the first time a peaceful and democratic transition in Malaysia gives hope that the future of Malaysia is not dark and gloomy, which is why many Malaysians dare again to dream big, and the Malaysian Dream which many have given up, is back on the Malaysian National Agenda.

It is time that Malaysians return to honest, decent and civil politics about policies and programmes instead of the dishonest, indecent and uncivil politics of lies, hate and fear arousing primordial racial and religious sentiments of fear and hatred.

I have never accused UMNO leaders of being anti-Chinese, anti-Indian, anti-Buddhism, anti-Christianity or anti-Hinduism and in post-14GE,  UMNO leaders and UMNO propaganda apparatus should stop making wild and false allegations that DAP and I are anti-Malay and anti-Islam.

Unfortunately, this important lesson of Malaysian nation-building does not seem to have been fully learnt by all UMNO leaders, as there are voices suggesting that  UMNO and PAS should join hands as the Malays and Islam are under threat.

This reminds me of the warning by UMNO leaders during the 14th General

Election that the Malays will perish in Malaysia if UMNO is defeated.

I find it  most shocking that UMNO leaders,  who have dominated the government in the country for more than half a century, had such low opinion of the Malays as to believe that the Malays are so gullible that they could believe such trash and falsehoods and they have been proved wrong by the Malay voters in the 14th General Election!

How can the Malays perish in Malaysia when Tun Mahathir will be the seventh Malaysian Prime Minister and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the eighth Malaysian Prime Minister?

Three demographic factors will ensure that the Malays will not perish if UMNO is defeated in the 14GE: firstly, the increasing Malay percentage in the Malaysian population; secondly, the overwhelming majority of Malaysian voters are Malay voters and thirdly, the overwhelming majority of parliamentary and state assembly constituencies in the country are Malay voter-majority constituencies.

But apart from these three demographic factors, there is the critical democratic factor which will ensure that the Malays will not lose their rights and become strangers in their own land as warned by UMNO leaders.

We in Pakatan Harapan wants to win not just the 14th General Election, but also future general elections – the 15th, 16th and others thereafter.

A Pakatan Harapan Federal Government and State Goverrnment which want the government mandate to be renewed in subsequent General Elections must be able prove in the next five years before the 15GE that a Pakatran Harapan Government is better than UMNO/BN government for all Malaysians, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans or Orang Asli or be voted out of Putrajaya in the 15th General Election in five years’ time.

Just as the Chinese in Malaysia do not perish without MCA, Indians do not perish without MIC, Malays will not perish without UMNO!

I do not believe there is any race, religion or culture which will want their leaders to come from the ranks of the 4Ps of pencuri, perompak, penyagak and penyamun for the country to be regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

I have no doubt that every Chinese, Indian and Malay (if he or she is aware of th1MDB scandal and the Implications of a “global kleptocracy”) will solidly support Pakatan Harapan to Save Malaysia from hurtling towards the trajectory of a failed, rogue and kleptocratic state.

Pakatan Harapan at the Federal and State level, where we are also State Governments, must be always be a government for all Malaysians, regardless of whether they voted for Pakatan Harapan or otherwise – that we must truly serve all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics.

We want to build a New Malaysia which is united, democratic, just and progressive, and this is where Rafidah’s call for a more inclusive concept of “ketuanan Malaysia” is most pertinent and relevant.

For a thriving democracy, we must operate in a new political environment and culture where checks and balances are institutionalised in our system of governance.

We must accept this challenge to promote democratic processes, not only ensuring that there are check-and-balance mechanisms within governing parties but also by the Opposition, the media and the civil society.

We will not harass and persecute the Opposition as we had suffered in the past 52 years, for this will be against our beliefs in a democratic society.

In five years’ time, Pakatan Harapan will have to seek a new mandate from the voters – a reminder that time is short for PH national and state governments to prove themselves that we deserve a new mandate in five years’ time and not just to be a one-term national or state government.

(Speech at the 80th birthday reception for DAP veteran Liew Ah Kim at Hong Kong Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 2nd June 2018 at 8 pm)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 3 June 2018, 11:11 am and is filed under
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Apandi’s refusal to resign honourably and with dignity has highlighted the refusal of other UMNO/BN political appointees to resign honourably and with dignity

The refusal of Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali in the past month to resign honourably and with dignity as Attorney-General has highlighted the refusal of other

UMNO/Barisan Nasional political appointees to resign honourably and with dignity their political appointments although there a change of Federal government for the first time in the nation’s history.

It would appear that there is honour among thieves but not among UMNO/BN politicians.

How many of the UMNO/BN Senators have resigned from the Senate since the historic and watershed development on May 9, 2018 which saw the peaceful and democratic transition of power after 61 years of independence.

In its report today, China Press reported that UMNO has 22 Senators, MCA six senators and MIC three senators.

As far as I know, none of the UMNO/BN Senators have submitted their resignation after the watershed and historic development on May 9.

Three day ago, Malaysiakini reported that the Finance Ministry, under the previous administration, had agreed to a RM5 million ex-gratia payment for 1MDB President, Arul Kanda Kandasamy and placed him on garden leave until his contract expired on June 30.

If true, this is a most extraordinary remuneration and probably the only case of its kind not only in Malaysia but in the world – where a company with only one employee is paying millions of ringgit of taxpayer’s monies.

The Malaysiakini report gave partial answer to a question I posed to Arul Kanda a week before the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018, where I specifically asked Arul Kanda  to declare how much was his remuneration as 1MDB CEO –  not only his monthly pay and allowances, but all the perks and privileges he received and would be receiving as 1MDB CEO and all other agreed terms of his remuneration.

Can Arul confirm the Malaysiakini report or has he gone into “disappearance mode” in his garden leave?

Malaysians learnt last week that the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mycom) executive chairman Abdullah Ahmad earns a monthly salary of RM85,000, which is more than four times the basic salary of the Prime Minister.

An expert on corporate Malaysia estimated that there are some 68,000 government-linked companies (GLCs) in the country, and that some 70 of these GLCs pay millionaire or near-millionaire salaries a year to their Chairmen.

How many of the political appointees in these 68,000 GLCS have submitted their resignation after May 9, 2018?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 4th  June 2018)

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Khairy’s post-14GE mea culpa that 1MDB scandal was the cause of UMNO/BN’s “catastrophic” downfall in the 14GE too little and too late

UMNO Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin’s mea culpa in the South China Morning Post that the 1MDB scandal was the cause of UMNO/BN’s “catastrophic” downfall in the 14th General Election  is too little and too late.

It however validated the indictments and condemnations that I had made of the various national leaders and  institutions both in the run-up to and during the short 11-day campaign of the 14th General Elections.

When the 13th Parliament was dissolved on 7th April 2018, I said in Ayer Hitam that I had not felt so ashamed as a MP in the 13th Parliament although I had been a Member of Parliament for 10 terms from 1969 to 2018, except for the tenth Parliament from 1999 to 2004, spanning 45 years from 1969.

In the 13th Parliament, I was suspended twice, and for six months each, basically because I demanded answers and accountability over the 1MDB scandal and why Malaysia became known as a global kleptocracy during the tenure of the 13th Parliament.

In the last six parliamentary sittings, I became a parliamentary “ghost”, as the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and his two Deputy Speakers could not see me, although I attended Parliament diligently every day and sat near to them, but I could not participate in the parliamentary debates nor my votes counted in any parliamentary voting.

This is what I said in Ayer Hitam on 7th April, 2018:

“I call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Parliament Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to apologise to all Malaysians for the 13th Parliament’s failure to do anything to clear or purge Malaysia of the infamy, ignominy and iniquity of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

“The 13th Parliament not only did not do anything to clear or purge Malaysia of the infamy, ignominy and iniquity of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy, it ignored and subverted the fundamental doctrine of the separation of powers and allowed Parliament to be a rubber stamp of the Executive, not only to suppress questions and debates on the 1MDB scandal, it became a partner in the political crime of enacting the Anti-Fake News legislation to try to save Najib from the full consequences of the 1MDB scandal.

“Can the nation expect a fulsome apology from Najib and Pandikar for the failure of the 13th Parliament to clear or purge Malaysia of the infamy, ignominy and iniquity off being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy?”

In fact, in a media statement of April 10, I was moved to ask: What has the Parliament Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, the Election Commission Chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Tan Sri Dzulkiflif Ahmad have in common?

My Answer: Their inability to justify their decisions and actions.

The Election Commission Chairman illustrated an example that day, when he announced the nomination and polling dates for the 14th General Election, but  refused to field questions from journalists and exited the media conference in double-quick time despite repeated shouts of “Tan Sri! Tan Sri!” to get his attention.

Mohd Hashim could not explain the rationale why the Election Commission decided to affix a Wednesday for Polling Day, if it was  mindful of the Constitutional provision to act in a manner which enable it to enjoy “public confidence” and the constitutional mandate to conduct free, fair and honest elections.

It was such a joke when the chief of Election Commission teamed up with the Chief Commissioner of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to announce a joint Ops Centre to handle complaints related to election violations in the 14th General Election, as the credibility of the MACC was not very much higher than the Election Commission.

This had been proven correct by subsequent events – witness the 72 bags confiscated by the Police a week after the 14GE  from three units in Pavilion Residences – 35 of which contained cash in 26 different currencies amounting to RM114 million.

Surprisingly, UMNO veteran Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad claimed yesterday that the RM114 million cash were UMNO general election funds. (This raises the questions as to how Shahrir  knew they were UMNO monies and how much UMNO had spent in the entire 14th GE).

I commented at the time that the MACC can never recover its reputation and credibility so long as it maintains a blind-eye to the greatest corruption in the nation’s history and the largest kleptocracy in the world – the international multi-billion ringgit 1MDB money-laundering scandal which had turned Malaysia into a global kleptocracy in the last three years.

At the Iskandar Puteri Nomination Centre in Skudai on April 28, 2018, I summed up the objectives of the 14th General Election in three words: “Set Malaysia Free” – from 1MDB, global kleptocracy, corruption, abuses of power, injustices and all forms of exploitation.

During the election campaign, I had challenged the 730-odd UMNO/BN parliamentary and state assembly candidates to declare whether they want full investigations into the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal, which spans the globe, causing Malaysia the ignominy, infamy and iniquity of a global kleptocray.

But as Khairy has now admitted, there was not even a bleat from anyone of the 730-odd UMNO/BN candidates about the evil and monstrosity of the 1MDB scandal.

Najib believed that he could get away from full accounting for the 1MDB scdndal in the 14th general election, by obsfucasting and virtually censoring detailed examination and debate of what the US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions had described as “kleptocracy at its worst”.

It is fortunate that Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region or even politics had united to  Save Malaysia to foil Najib’s conspiracy, or the 1MDB scandal would  have become not only the “heist of the century”, but the biggest electoral fraud in Malaysian history.

What redemption over the 1MDB scandal is Khariy and the entire UMNO/BN coalition capable of performing in post-14GE.

Will he propose that the  first item of business of the UMNO General Assembly which is to elect the new UMNO Supreme Council should be to demonstrate national UMNO contrition over the 1MDB scandal by adopting a resolution of apology to the nation not only for the 1MDB scandal but failure to purge Malaysia of the infamy, ignominy and iniquity as a global kleptocracy?

Will all UMNO/BN MPs support a motion in Parliament calling for full investigation of the 1MDB scandal to cleanse or purge Malaysia of the infamy, ignominy and iniquity of the 1MDB scandal?

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 5th June 2018)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 5 June 2018, 9:03 am and is filed under
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Malaysians must never again allow corruption to permeate all levels in the government

The Chairman of the Council of Elders, Tun Daim Zainuddin, said in an interview two days ago:

“Corruption has permeated all levels in the government. We are now at a crossroad. Our only way forward is to cleanse the system and get rid of this malady that is afflicting this nation. In order to do that, political willpower will be the main criterion for success. And I am confident that this new Pakatan Harapan Government has the gumption to do just that.”

Daim is right and this is borne out by the annual Transparency Interntional (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in the past 23 years.

Malaysia reached its lowest-point in 23 years in TI CPI ranking when it was ranked No. 62 out of 180 countries in the TI CPI 2017, and garnering the lowest TI CPI score of any Prime Minister since the annual TI CPI was started in 1995.

In the first year of TI CPI in 1995, which listed only 41 countries, Malaysia was ranked in the middling position of No. 23 with a score above the midpoint – i.e. 5.28 in a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean).

The TI CPI 2017 is Malaysia’s worst ranking in the 23-year TI CPI annual series and highlights a most shocking fact – that Najib’s nine-year premiership registered the lowest TI CPI ranking and the worst TI CPI score when compared to the two previous Prime Ministers, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah (although with TI CPI 2017 score of 47/100, Najib beat his worst score of 4.3/10 in 2011).

This is illustrated by the following chart on TI CPI 1995-2017:

Prime Minister

Best ranking

Best score

Worst ranking

Worst score

Mahathir

23(1995)

5.32/10 (1996)

37 (2003)

4.8/10 (2000)

Abdullah

39(2004)

5.1/10 (2005/7/8)

47 (2008)

5/10 (2004/6)

Najib

50 (2014)

52/100 (2014)

62 (2017)

4.3/10 (2011)

When the shocking TI CPI 2017 was announced in February this year, I called for heads to roll – involving not only Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge integrity, Datuk Paul Low, the MACC Chief Commissioner, Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad but also the 20-odd members of the five bodies which monitor the MACC, namely the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board, the Special Committee on Corruption, the Complaints Committee, the Operations Review Panel, and the Corruption Consultation and Prevention Panel.

No heads rolled in February this year, but with the historic and watershed result of the 14th General Elections on May 9, 2018 which threw out the Najib Government and gave Malaysia a second chance to be “a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world”, there is now a new Government in Putrajaya, a new Attorney-General and a new MCAA Chief Commissioner, and clearly we need new members of the various  MACC monitoring and advisory councils.

Let Malaysians prove that  that we can firstly, transform Malaysia from a global kleptocracy into a leading nation of integrity by getting to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal – described by  the US Attorney-General as  “kleptocracy at its worst”  – as  well as other mega-corruption scandals, ensure that the rule of law is upheld  and that  justice is done, and secondly, effect structural and institutional  reforms as well  as mind-set changes throughout our society  so that we have a political culture of  zero-tolerance for corruption.

This is  one important meaning of the May 8, 2018 Malaysian Spring, and why Malaysians, through an independent Parliament, a free and responsible press and a vibrant civil society, must never again allow corruption to permeate all levels in the government in Malaysia.

[
Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, June 6, 2018
]

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 6 June 2018, 8:30 pm and is filed under
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With top UMNO leaders in deep denial,  refusing to admit to  the national infamy  of a global kleptocracy and kakistocracy, and continuing with the politics of race, lies, fear and hate,  unlikely UMNO General Assembly at end of the month will see any  redemption, salvation, reform or renewal

With top UMNO leaders in deep denial, refusing to admit to  the national infamy of a global kleptocracy and kakistocracy which they had brought to Malaysia  before the 14th General Election, and continuing with the politics of lies and fear by falsely blaming the new Pakatan Harapan government of practising the politics of hate, it is unlikely that the UMNO General Assembly at the end of the month will witness any redemption or salvation as a step to UMNO reform and renewal.

The Acting UMNO President, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi was right when he said after the UMNO Supreme Council on May 22 that Barisan Nasional can look to other countries where long-time parties were defeated but managed to make a comeback, but very wrong when he said that BN will be able to make a comeback against a government that was built on “hatred”.

This was because  Pakatan Harapan prevailed in the 14th General Election despite the worst case of the politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies unleashed by UMNO/BN in the 14th General Elections and the peaceful and democratic transition of power for first time in Malaysian history was an affirmation of the capability of Malaysians for national correction, renewal and salvation.

The Pakatan Harapan Government formed after the 14th General Election  is the very anti-thesis of the politics of lies, fear and hatred fanning primordial sentiments of race and religion practised by  the previous UMNO/BN Government, as the values which guided the new government are transparency, harmony, freedom and justice to leverage the  contribution from the best of the diverse races, religions, langugages and cultures of plural Malaysia.

If UMNO leaders in post-14GE still cannot understand why May 9, 2018 is regarded as a day of “liberation”, giving Malaysians an opportunity to build a New Malaysia, a second chance to reset nation-building policies and directions to fulfill the Malaysian Dream for Malaysia to be a “beacon of light in a difficult and distracted world”, then they will never learn.

I was surprised when the No.2 in UMNO, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein repeated yesterday Zahid’s message, calling on the Pakatan Harapan to stop the politics of hate –  a chimerical obession of a small coterie of UMNO/BN leaders which is not shared by the Malaysian populace at large.

When will Zahid, Hishammuddin and other UMNO leaders emerge from their bubble or cocoon to admit that Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy and the 1MDB interntional money-launderintg scandal were major reasons for UMNO/BN’s disastrous performance in the 14GE?

Untill this is done, it is too far-fetched for anyone to hope or expect UMNO to be capable of reform and renewal at the UMNO General Assembly in three weeks’ time so  as to play a positive role in the post-14GE Malaysia.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 7th June 2018)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 7 June 2018, 12:41 pm and is filed under
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Md Raus Sharif and Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin should gracefully resign as Chief Justice and Court of Appeal President respectively to bring constitutional crisis over the two top judicial posts to an end

Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif and Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin should gracefully resign as Chief Justice and Court of Appeal President respectively to bring the constituional crisis over the two top judicial posts to an end.

When Raus was controversailly re-appointed as Chief Justice, he said his reappointment as Chief Justice was “unprecedented” but constitutional, that there was  always a first time for everything, and that when something happens for the first time, there is bound to be many differences in opinion.

What is incontrovertible however is that re-appointment of Raus and Zulkefli to  the two top judicial posts in the land had met with criticism and opposition – with the weight of juristic, legal and informed public opinion arrayed against them at the time of the  re-appointments involving a former Chief Justice, a former Federal Court judge, a former Attorney-General, a former de facto Law Minister and the Malaysian Bar.

The graceful resignation of Raus as Chief Justice and Zulkefli as Court of Appeal President will allow a good start to much-needed judicial and  legal reforms in the country.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 8th June 2018)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 8 June 2018, 12:51 pm and is filed under
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A month of strange politicking in Malaysia

While Malaysians breathe a new air of freedom and re-birth on May 9, 2018,  taking tentative steps in the making of a New Malaysia, it was also a month of strange politicking by certain political forces whether  of  the previous incumbency or those who had hoped to be “kingmaker” to prop up the previous incumbents.

This is best illustrated by the news that the fallen Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was  setting up court as an alternative UMNO  power centre by establishing  an office because of a deluge of visitors from supporters, friends, UMNO members and UMNO leaders from across the country “to convey their good wishes, show support and ask for opinions on current affairs”.

There was not an ounce of compunction or penitence for the wrong he had wrought to Malaysia or the destruction he had done to UMNO/Barisan Nasional, unlike his cousin who announced yesterday that he was fully aware that the GE14 results signaled the need for drastic reforms in UMNO and that he will not be offering himself as a candidate for any position at the UMNO national elections at the end of this month or the more apocalyptic  scenario of middle-rung UMNO leaders likening UMNO’s present situation as like a “sunken ship” that sorely needed a new captain to salvage it and chart a new course.

On the contrary, Najib was  on the  offensive and appeared in the public arena more often than when he was Prime Minister, complaining that the Pakatan Harapan government was trying to erase his legacy.

Will Najib ever acknowledge that the legacy of his nine years as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia was the worst of all Prime Ministers of Malaysia –  one of infamy, ignominy and iniquity of the 1MDB international money-laundering scandal which debased the Malaysian Dream of being “a beacon of light in a difficult and distracted world” into a global kleptocracy and kakistocracy?

UMNO leaders, including the Acting UMNO President, seemed to have disappeared from the public arena, leaving the field to Najib and a mysterious outfit, the faceless and nameless UMNO Strategic Communications Unit which emerged after the May 9  electoral disaster of UMNO/BN – raising questions whether it was camouflage or proxy for Najib’s propaganda, reminiscent of the “1MDB fund units” obsession of 1MDB CEO, Arul Kanda Kandasamy before the 14GE.

Although Najib has accepted responsibility for UMNO’s electoral disaster and  resigned as UMNO President, he  continued to live in a bubble, blaming slander as the  cause of UMNO/BN’s defeat.

What is even more shocking is that the present UMNO leadership seems to be equally deep in this bubble of delusion and denial, with the Acting UMNO President Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi taking courage from other countries where long-time parties which had been  defeated managed to make a comeback, but refusing to admit that it was UMNO/BN which was responsible for the most vicious and irresponsible electoral campaign of  the politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies.

The UMNO General Assemblies at the end of this month  is a battle for the soul of UMNO.

As the Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad told Zahid when the Acting UMNO President called on him,  UMNO had betrayed the Malays with UMNO leaders focused on self-gratification – why UMNO is hated now because it has deviated from its noble cause.

Will the UMNO General Assemblies at the end of this month repudiate and renounce the “1MDB and global kleptocratic” legacy of Najib or will it defend and justify it?

Will Najib establish an alternative UMNO centre of power and continue to pull the strings from  behind?

On the eve of the 14th General Election, Najib repeated for the umpteenth time the Big Lie that the 14th General Election is a battle between the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional and the DAP-led Pakatan Harapan, that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was being paraded as the leader and icon of the opposition which  was just a charade as the DAP and I were  the real power behind the scene.

Would Najib own up that he was disseminating downright lies, fake news and false information during the general election campaign, and will UMNO General Assemblies later this month commit themselves to clean, honest and moral politics and total repudiation from such vicious and irresponsible  politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies?

There are signs that those who had hoped to be  kingmaker in a hung Parliament in the 14GE to prop up a kleptoratic Prime Minister are now perpetrating the politics of race, religion, hate, fear and lies.

Just as good sense had prevailed on May 9, 2018 despite the  most vicious and irresponsible campaign of politics of race, religion, fear, hate and lies, I am hopeful that more Malaysians can transcend ethnic, religious and cultural differences to come together as Malaysians to fulfill the Malaysian Dream to be “a beacon of light in a difficult and distracted world”.

(Media Statement in  Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 9th June 2018)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 9 June 2018, 7:26 pm and is filed under
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Bung Moktar’s tips  will make UMNO an eternal opposition, never to  return to the corridors of power

I am tickled no end by the tips  given by UMNO Supreme Council member Bung Karno Radin on how to be an effective opposition.

He said  Umno should adopt the mindset and modus operandi of Pakatan Harapan when the latter was still the federal opposition, “walloping” and throwing apparent allegations around with no fear of legal consequences.

He said: “They fight the (then-BN) government non-stop, they kept throwing speculation and as a result, many of them were charged in courts. They just walloped Umno and BN, they don’t care.

“So, we want to work out like that. Or better than the previous opposition.”

Bung Karno’s tips will make UMNO an eternal opposition, never to return to the corridors of power.

In my 53 years in Opposition politics, I never operated in the manner described  by Bung Karno as the role of Opposition leaders,  and I can say the same for the other Pakatan Harapan leaders.

I do not believe Malaysians voted for a change of government in Putrajaya because they support our fighting  the Barisan Nasional non-stop, “walloping” UMNO and BN and throwing “apparent allegations around” with no fear of legal consequences.

This  only shows the it is not just Najib Razak who has still to wake up from his  bubble and denial syndrome over the UMNO/BN electoral disaster, many UMNO/BN leaders themselves  have not really learnt the reasons why they had been rejected by the electorate in the 14GE.

I am prepared to give free tuition to UMNO/BN on  how to be an constructive and effective opposition, for I want to see the historic and watershed 14GE on May 9,. 2018 plant firm roots of democracy in Malaysia – which means checks-and-balance mechanisms not only in the ruling parties themselves, but also effective and constructive roles by the Opposition, the media and civil society.

But DEFINITELY not the role of an Opposition envisaged by Bung Karno, which is dishonest, destructive and divisive for a democratic and successful Malaysian society.

(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 10th June 2018)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 10 June 2018, 3:35 pm and is filed under
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