Is Cabinet meeting tomorrow going to challenge US Department of Justice (DOJ) to forfeit Rosmah Mansor’s US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace?

For once, I agree with the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan – why the US Department of Justice (DOJ) brought up the US$27.3 million diamond necklace bought from 1MDB laundered funds if it did not intend seize it in its kleptocratic civil litigation to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets!

Is the Cabinet meeting tomorrow going to challenge the US DOJ to apply to the US Court in California to also forfeit Rosmah Mansor’s US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace?

I am sure he will find support from his Ministerial colleagues, who must be equally incensed why the US DOJ implicated Rosmah when it had no plan to seize Rosmah’s pink diamond necklace acquired from  misappropriated 1MDB funds  – especially, his Sabah Ministerial colleague, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, the Minister for Communications and Multimedia who is already muttering about US interference with Malaysian sovereignty.

In September last year, Abdul Rahman Dahlan identified to the world in an interview with BBC that the “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” in the DOJ kleptocratic action on 1MDB-linked assets was none other than the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.  Abdul Rahman even said that “only an idiot doesn’t know who  that person was”.

Unfortunately, the Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein showed himself an “idiot” two days ago when he tried to pull wool over everybody’s eyes by casting doubts as to the identity of “MO1”, even claiming “For all we know it could be anyone. ‘MO1’ could be (Second Finance Minister) Johari (Abdul) Ghani” – when everybody who is not an idiot know Johari could not be “MO1”!

Today, Abdul Rahman admitted that the “wife of MO1” is Rosmah Mansor – in the context of the DOJ suit which revealed that the US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace was bought by Malaysian billionaire, Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, the other “king pin” of the 1MDB scandal, for the wife of “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1”.

Is the Cabinet tomorrow going to take a stand, not only on “wife of MO1”, but also “MO1”?

Despite our political differences, I must thank Abdul Rahman for his  three admissions – that “MO1” is Najib, “wife of MO” is Rosmah Mansor and Rosmah’s pink diamond necklace.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 20 June 2017, 10:39 pm and is filed under
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Annuar Musa’s desperate and unabashed appeal to the primordial politics of religion confirmed my initial suspicion that Putrajaya had been very jittery and most hysterical about latest US DOJ kleptocratic action on forfeiture of US$1.7 billion 1MDB-linked assets

UMNO Information Chief, Annuar Musa’s desperate and unabashed appeal to the primordial politics of religion has confirmed my initial suspicion that Putrajaya had been very jittery and most hysterical about the latest United States Department of Justice (DOJ) kleptocratic action on forfeiture of US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets.

Was this why the three Najib loyalists in the Cabinet, the Defence Minister, Datuk Hishamuddin Hussein, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and the Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak had risked their public reputations with ridiculous salvoes to the DOJ in coming to the defence of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak since the third spate of DOJ kleptocratic suits in California last Thursday?

It is understandable it is not easy to maintain equanimity when two whammies involving two biggest financial scandals of the first magnitude in the nation’s history exploded in the month of Ramadan – the new US DOJ kleptocratic action and the Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV) scandal – especially when so much preparation had been made for the Najib administration to take the political offensive in the month of Ramadan in preparation for the 14th General Election.

But while Hishammudin, Salleh and Abdul Rahman were not helpful to Najib at all – Annuar’s intervention is sheer disaster for Najib, for what Annuar had done was tantamount to scoring his own goal.

Annuar proclaimed that the US DOJ pursuit of 1MDB assets was “part of a conspiracy to meddle in Malaysia’s affairs because the country had a Muslim-led government”.

What reaction was Annuar expecting?

Was he expecting all Malaysians, particularly non-Muslims, to pipe down on the 1MDB scandal lest they be accused of being American stooges to destroy a Muslim-led government? I believe Malaysians who stand and fight for public integrity and good governance are made of sterner stuff.

Is Annuar Musa aware that he is causing untold shame to Malaysia and Islam with his statement, as if Malaysia’s attainment of the epithet of a “global kleptocracy” represents the acme of Islamic achievement in the world in the 21st century?

Had Annuar forgotten that it was not too long ago when those in the Putrajaya corridors of power had nursed hopes that the new US President Trump would quash the US DOJ kleptocratic action on 1MDB, as Najib boasted as Trump’s “golfing buddy” and “favourite Prime Minister” with Najib having a signed photograph of Trump on his desk?

Furthermore, do the other 12 parties in Barisan Nasional, like MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP, Sabah Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), PBS, UPKO and PBRS agree with Annuar’s interpretation that the DOJ was engaged in a conspiracy to meddle in Malaysia’s affairs because the country had a Muslim-led government? Let the other BN component parties, particularly those from Sabah and Sarawak, speak up!

The FGV scandal, with Tan Sri Isa Samad resigning as FGV Chairman but immediately becoming SPAD Chairman, is further proof why the Najib administration has forfeited public confidence and credibility.

The appointment of Isa as Chairman of SPAD is not only the most unpopular appointment of a GLC Chairman, but the most opposed by all sectors of society, including the civil service, the civil society and even the UMNO and BN rank-and-file.

The least Isa could do to end the charade of his appointment as SPAD Chairman is for him to decline the appointment as SPAD Chairman, pending inquiry into his stewardship of FELDA and FGV, which resulted in the loss of tens of billions of ringgit for the 100,000 Felda settlers.

(Media Statement after visiting Tanjong Kupang, Gelang Patah on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 3 pm)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 June 2017, 4:39 pm and is filed under
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Call on all religions in Malaysia to unite with common objective to make Malaysia the beacon and inspiration for the world as a showcase of multi-religious harmony, understanding, tolerance, solidarity and unity

When the nation achieved Merdeka in 1957 and Malaysia was formed in 1963, religion was conceived as an important nation-building block for the country to be a showcase to the world how a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country could unite as one successful, progressive and prosperous nation with harmony, understanding, tolerance, solidarity and unity from our various diversities of race, religion, language and culture.

This is a time to take stock of our six decades of nation-building, for Malaysia seems to have lost its way – the nation losing its moral compass and  forfeiting our moral high ground in the international community.

After six decades, Malaysia has not been able to leverage on our maximum potentials, whether  in the  political, economic, social, educational, human resources development and nation-building spheres – being increasingly left behind by many countries like Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and  Hong Kong which were behind us during our early years of nationhood, and now at risk of being overtaken by even more countries, especially, Vietnam, Thailand and even Indonesia.

China and Indonesia had trailed far behind Malaysia on the anti-corruption front, but in the past  few decades, Malaysia has gradually but relentlessly lost ground to these two countries, until the question now is not whether, but when China and Indonesia will overtake Malaysia as a less corrupt country!

Something is very wrong when the government and nation can  take with complacency and equanimity our new international infamy and ignominy for being  regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy, pretending that such infamy and ignominy do not exist or blaming them on an international conspiracy against Malaysia.

What has happened to Malaysia and why has country lost its way, to a stage where we have lost the capability to differentiate between right and wrong or feel a sense of shame, humiliation and  outrage at being regarded by the world as a global kleptocracy – values  taught by all religions in the world?

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has an international  wasatiyyah  campaign  through the Global Movement of Moderates initiative, preaching to the world  the principles and values of moderation, justice, balance and excellence.

But we  overlooked one important aspect – what is the use of preaching the wasatiyyah principles to the world when in our own country, our citizens have increasingly lost these  wasatiyyah principles and values?

Instead, the advocates of hate, intolerance, lies, falsehoods, extremism and fanaticism  are rearing their ugly heads as illustrated by the demand at the start o of the month of Ramadan that non-Muslims should not partake in the breaking of fasts;  the thuggish incident in Kluang Bazaar Ramadan where the DAP MP for the constituency was roughed up when making a goodwill visit; calls for the banning of Evangelical Christianity; escalation of lies and falsehoods on the social media seeking to blacken the image of Pakatan Harapan and DAP leaders etc.

Over the decades, there has been more rather than lesser racial and religious polarization.

We must restore our moral bearings and re-set our nation building directions and policies, and this where  religion has  an important role to foster greater harmony, tolerance, understanding, solidarity and unity among the diverse religions in Malaysia and among Malaysians of diverse  religions.

The latest news that Malaysia’s most wanted terrorist, Mahmud Ahmad, was among the key militant leaders involved in the deadly offensive in Marawi, Mindanao have shocked Malaysians.

We do not want to see in Malaysia the senseless terrorist bombings and killings in London, Manchester, Paris, Jakarta, Mindanao and even in Teheran, where hatred, distrust, intolerance, lies, falsehoods and extremism replace love, compassion, tolerance, truth, honesty and moderation as  the weltanschauung of the day.

Moderate Malaysians must not flinch from taking an uncompromising stand against extremism or fanaticism of any form, for the price of failure to do so will be the loss of  peace, harmony, mutual respect, solidarity and unity among the diverse races, religions and regions in the country.

I therefore call on all religions in Malaysia to unite with the common objective to make Malaysia the beacon and inspiration  for the world as a showcase of multi-religious harmony, understanding, tolerance, solidarity and unity.

(Speech at the Interfaith Dialogue on the Concept of Fasting in Klang on Tuesday, 20th June 2017 at 5.30 pm)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 June 2017, 6:21 am and is filed under
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Is Malaysia a Kleptocracy?

Wall Street Journal

June 20, 2017

The U.S. Justice Department filed civil lawsuits late last week to seize a second trove of assets allegedly purchased with funds embezzled from the Malaysian state-run investment fund 1MDB. Last July the Feds went after more than $1 billion in financial assets, real estate, artwork, film rights and a private jet. Now the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, as Justice calls it, is targeting $540 million in assets owned by relatives and associates of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The most striking item on the list is a necklace worth $27.3 million featuring a 22-carat pink diamond. The lawsuit alleges that 1MDB funds were used to buy it and other jewelry for the wife of “Malaysian Official No. 1.” U.S. officials told the Journal that Official No. 1 is Mr. Najib.

The 1MDB fund denies that money is missing, Mr. Najib denies any wrongdoing, and Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Mr. Najib in January 2016. Mr. Apandi Ali said in a statement Friday, “We also note that there has been no evidence from any investigation conducted by any law enforcement agencies in various jurisdictions that shows that money has been misappropriated from 1MDB.”

Yet the U.S. Justice Department has provided considerable evidence that $3.5 billion went missing, while the Swiss Attorney General puts the figure at $4 billion. Singapore and Switzerland have already punished financial institutions for breaking money-laundering rules in moving 1MDB funds.

Justice last week released new information allegedly showing that about $850 million thatDeutsche Bank loaned to 1MDB was diverted to accounts controlled by Mr. Najib and his associates. One lawsuit alleges that proceeds from a $3 billion 1MDB bond offering in 2013 were diverted to help purchase Coastal Energy, a Houston-based oil firm. The Abu Dhabi sovereign-wealth fund International Petroleum Investment Co. says that 1MDB owes it about $6.5 billion for defaulted debt that IPIC guaranteed.

The Malaysian government accuses the U.S. of pursuing a political vendetta. But Barack Obama pursued closer ties with Mr. Najib, even inviting him to play golf in Hawaii in December 2014, right up to when the Journal broke the 1MDB story in July 2015.

Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is Mr. Najib’s cousin, on Sunday urged the U.S. to press criminal charges so the accused can clear their names. The Journal has reported that U.S. investigators are preparing to charge at least one of Mr. Najib’s associates. Since Malaysian authorities have concluded that there’s nothing worth investigating in the 1MDB matter, civil and criminal cases in other jurisdictions are the best hope Malaysians have of finding out whether their country has become a kleptocracy.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 21 June 2017, 12:21 am and is filed under
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Challenge to Najib to nominate the UMNO/BN spokesman or spokesmen who will be responsible for all issues about 1MDB scandal and DOJ suits so that Malaysian voters can decide in the 14GE

Last Saturday, when asked how the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s updated kleptocratic suits to forfeit US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, UK and Switzerland, would affect Barisan Nasional in the next general election, the Defence Minister, Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein replied that “the people would decide”.

I cannot agree more with Hishammuddin, now that all avenues under the institutional system of checks-and-balance in a parliamentary democracy to prevent abuses of power and uphold the principles of good governance and public integrity, are closed with the total breakdown of such checks-and-balances.

The Cabinet meeting yesterday was the last straw. Imagine at this stage and time when Malaysians are being shamed and humiliated as Malaysia is regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy, the Cabinet can still embark on a frolic into the past and set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the Bank Negara forex losses scandal a quarter of a century ago but has neither the time nor interest to set up a RCI into the biggest financial scandal in the nation’s history – the 1MDB scandal!

Parliament is another lost cause unless the 14th General Election can usher in a new government with a new Parliament, where what happened at the end of 2015 would not recur – my six-month suspension from Parliament, not because I had stolen, robbed, murdered or guilty of corruption, but because I had wanted the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to answer two simple questions about the 1MDB global financial scandal – Where the RM2.6 billion and more in his personal banking accounts came from and where the money had gone to.

I agree with Hishammuddin that the only remedy left to restore Malaysia’s moral standing with regard to the 1MDB global scandal are in the hands of the Malaysian voters in the 14th General Election.

However, if the 1MDB scandal and the DOJ suits are to be major issues in the next general elections, the major facts of the scandal must be laid before the voters – and not as of now, where there is a virtual censorship and blackout of the 1MDB scandal, with facts of the case limited and available only online or in the international press.

I challenge Najib to nominate the UMNO/BN spokesman or spokesmen who will be responsible for all issues about the 1MDB scandal and DOJ suits on forfeiture of 1MDB-linked assets so that Malaysian voters have the facts to decide on the issues in the 14GE.

The Government should table a White Paper in the next meeting of Parliament scheduled for three weeks from July 24 to August 10 giving the government and 1MDB rebuttals to the updated 251-page DOJ kleptocratic suits to forfeit US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets.

If the UMNO/BN Government is not prepared to issue a White Paper to provide voters with the facts on the 1MDB scandal and the DOJ suits, then Pakatan Harapan should consider issuing a summary of both sides of the argument in connection with the 1MDB scandal and DOJ suits so that voters have the facts to decide on the issues in the next general election.

(Media Conference Statement after presenting Hari Raya gifts to needy families in Gelang Patah on Thursday, June 22, 2017 at 12 noon)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 June 2017, 3:54 pm and is filed under
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Isa Samad should decline appointment as SPAD Chairman to end the fiasco of GLC musical chairs and start the  era of  appointment of the best man and not the PM’s closest crony to head GLCs

Tan Sri Isa Samad resigning as FELDA Group Ventures Holding Bhd (FGV ) Chairman but immediately becoming SPAD Chairman is only continuing the fiasco of GLC musical chairs and  the farce of the GLC Transformation Programme.

It is another reason and example of the plummeting public confidence and credibility of the Najib premiership.

The appointment of Isa as Chairman of SPAD is not only the most unpopular appointment of a GLC Chairman,  opposed by all sectors of society, embracing the civil service, the civil society and  UMNO and BN rank-and-file, but had even been criticised by the first and former SPAD Chairman, Tan Sri  Syed Hamid Albar.

The least Isa could  do to end the charade of his appointment as SPAD Chairman is for him to decline the appointment as SPAD Chairman, pending inquiry into his stewardship of FELDA and FGV, which resulted in the loss of tens of billions of ringgit for the 100,000 Felda settlers.

If Isa is not fit to continue as FGV Chairman (nobody would be deceived by the charade of Isa’s “voluntary resignation”), how could Isa be fit and qualified to be SPAD Chairman and be responsible,  directly or indirectly, for  the RM55 billion East Coast Rail Line project, the KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail (RM60 billion), MRT Line (RM28 billion) and MRT Circle Line (RM20 billion) projects?

The country must say loud and clear “Enough is enough” to the fiasco of GLC musical chairs and start the era of  appointment of the best man  and not the Prime Minister’s closest crony  to head GLCs.

The Cabinet meeting today should have questioned the Prime Minister’s appointment of Isa as SPAD Chairman and even vetoed it, but this would be too much to  ask of  probably the most unprincipled and useless  “half-past six” batch of Ministers in the nation’s history which   must bear responsibility for the greater infamy of Malaysia being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

Isa Samad should decline appointment as SPAD Chairman to end the fiasco of GLC musical chairs and start the  era of  appointment of the best man and not the Prime Minister’s cronies to head GLCs.

This would in fact be the greatest national service Isa could render the country.

I hope Isa would reflect on this proposal. At least he would be able to retrieve some respect in his long record of public service.

(Media Statement after Pakatan Harapan Pulai breaking of fast at Bandar Baru UDA, Pulai, Johor Baru on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 8 pm)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 June 2017, 8:18 am and is filed under
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Why no RCI into 1MDB scandal which has made Malaysia into “global kleptocracy” or even RCI into FGV scandal? Will there be RCI into Scorpene scandal?

The reaction of everyone in Malaysia and the world to the news that the Najib government is establishing a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the 1980s/1990s Bank Negara foreign exchange scandal is: “Why no RCI on 1MDB scandal? Not even a RCI on FGV scandal? Is there going to be RCI into Scorpene scandal?”

Last Saturday, I said that no loyal and patriotic Malaysian can read the updated 251-page US Department of Justice (DOJ) kleptocratic suit to forfeit US$1.7 billion MDB-linked assets arising from US$4.5 billion 1MDB money-laundering without  shame, mortification, consternation and horror and only those who are prepared to commit treason will be unaffected, unmoved and untouched by the US DOJ action.

I called on the entire Cabinet yesterday to take a principled stand at its first meeting after the DOJ’s latest kleptocratic action to cleanse and purge Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy” or to collectively if the 36 Ministers are unable to defend Malaysia’s good name and reputation in the world.

The various statements by  Ministers, like Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and the Minister for Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Seri Salleh Syed Keruak have not dispelled any queries about the latest DOJ action, but  only reinforced shame, mortification, consternation and horror at the monstrosity of the 1MDB scandal.

The Malaysian Cabinet would have gained world recognition and admiration, as well as  salvaged Malaysia’s good name in the world and for posterity, if the Ministers had  collectively resigned to pave the way for a national cartharsis to restore the country’s reputation and international standing as a moral and upright country where public integrity and good governance are not meaningless  lip-service phrases but living principles and values in the  government and country.

Instead, the Cabinet chose the path of moral cowardice – attracting world attention not for their courage and conviction, but for their unbelievable incapacity to differentiate  right and wrong and to feel shame by burying their heads in the sand, ignoring the colossal elephant in the Cabinet room and embarking on a caper into the past.

Yes, I stand my speech in Parliament in April 1994 calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the colossal Bank Negara forex losses to ascertain (I) Bank Negara’s forex losses since 1992, and whether they could exceed RM30 billion; (2) whether there had been any financial malpractices and abuses; and (3) how the Bank Negara could incur such colossal losses.

This is what I told the 1992/3 Bank Negara forex losses Special Task Force , set up by the Cabinet, when I was summoned to appear before it on Thursday, 4th May 2017.

I told the Special Task Force that the key lesson of the Bank Negara forex losses a quarter of a century ago is the failure of Ministers, top civil servants, MPs and the press to play their respective roles to uphold the principles and accountability and good governance.

This is the same expensive mistake that the Cabinet is committing. This is what I asked the Special Task Force when I appeared before it on May 4:

“The special task force has been described as ‘exhuming an elephant’s carcass from Dr. M’s era’.

“Why are we missing the ‘elephant’ in the room – the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal which has earned for Malaysia the ignominy and infamy of a global kleptocracy?

“Or are we to wait for a quarter of a century before we have a special task force to ‘exhume’ the ‘elephant carcass’ of the 1MDB kleptocratic scandal – some time in 2040?”

May be, this is what Najib meant by Transformasi Nasional (TN50)!

Instead of earning plaudits and credits for Malaysia, the Cabinet decision yesterday in only  wanting to exhume an elephant’s carcass in a binge of vendetta against Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, while ignoring the living and breathing monstrous elephants in the room, like the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal and the FGV scandal, the Cabinet has gained further ignominy and infamy for Malaysia for its gross act of moral cowardice.

It is now left to ordinary Malaysians to redeem the nation’s honour and save the country.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 22 June 2017, 9:57 am and is filed under
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Cabinet should remember the historic advice  of the Rulers in October 2015 to be transparent and truthful in investigations into the 1MDB scandal and should  expand the Cabinet  decision to enlarge the scope of RCI to inquire not only into Bank Negara forex losses but also into  1MDB scandal

The latest news in the unending 1MDB international money-laundering scandal which has catapulted Malaysia into the dubious stratosphere of a  “global kleptocracy” is that another bank, the Swiss private bank  Edmond de Rothschild, has become the latest financial institution to be punished for regulatory lapses in relations to money laundering and the 1MDB scandal.

The Luxembourg Financial Sector Supervisory Commission (CSSF) fined the local arm of Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild EUR8.985 million (RM43 million) for failing to take proper safeguards against money laundering in the handling of funds linked to scandal-hit Malaysian investment fund 1MDB.

Luxembourg is the latest country and Rothschild the latest Swiss bank to be swept up in the 1MDB case, which has triggered money-laundering investigations in at least six countries including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.

As part of an extensive review into 1MDB-related transactions, Singapore has shut down the local units of Switzerland’s BSI Bank and Falcon Bank due to failures of money laundering controls and improper conduct by senior management, frozen tens of millions of dollars and charged several private bankers.

The review uncovered a complex web of transactions involving shell companies and individuals operating in many jurisdictions, including the United States, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Luxembourg and Malaysia.

Singapore’s central bank last month fined Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) and United Overseas Bank (UOB) a total of S$1.6 million ($1.15 million) for breaching anti-money laundering rules in transactions related to 1MDB.

Last year, it fined DBS (DBSM.SI), UBS (UBSG.S), Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and private bank Coutts for breaches of Singapore’s anti-money laundering laws in connection to 1MDB transactions.

Swiss agency FINMA has already reprimanded Credit Suisse and UBS for dealings surrounding 1MDB.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) updated kleptocratic suits to forfeit US$1.7 billion 1MDB-linked assets alleged more than US$4.5 billion had been stolen and money-laundered from  1MDB by high-level fund officials and their associates.

As stated in the statement released along with the updated DOJ kleptocratic suits in California to forfeit a new list of 1MDB0-linked assets last Thursday, Acting US Attorney Sandra R. Brown said:

“These cases involve billions of dollars that should have been used to help the people of Malaysia, but instead was used by a small number of individuals to fuel their astonishing greed. The misappropriation of 1MDB funds was accomplished with an extravagant web of lies.”

But wonder of wonders – while the whole world is agog at the brazen money-laundering and the unconscionable  theft of billions of dollars of public funds by a few for monies meant for the people of Malaysia, with several countries producing proofs to fine and punish established and reputable  banks as well as convict errant bankers for financial crimes, the Malaysian Prime Minister, the Cabinet, the major law and financial regulators, and major national institutions in Malaysia like  Parliament and the media collectively staged the ongoing charade that there is no basis for  the other countries, including the United States, Singapore, Switzerland and Luxembourg to  fine  and punish banks, convict errant bankers or institute legal suits in relation to  the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal.

Are  the Prime Minister and the 36 Cabinet Ministers aware that they have become the laughing stock in the world for establishing a Royal Commission of Inquiry to inquire into Bank Negara foreign exchange losses scandal a quarter of a century ago, but completely unconcerned and uninterested about what is probably among the most monstrous and colossal  money-laundering scandal in the world – the 1MDB scandal?

The 36 Cabinet Ministers should remember the historic advice  of  Rulers in October 2015 that the government should  be transparent and truthful in investigations into the 1MDB scandal and should expand the Cabinet  decision to enlarge the scope of RCI to inquire not only into Bank Negara forex losses but also into  1MDB scandal.

The historic  Rulers’ statement asked  the government to complete the 1MDB investigations as soon as possible and to take “the appropriate stern action” against all found to be implicated.

Up to date, no one  has been found to be guilty or implicated!

The Rulers had stressed that all concerned should extend “real and sincere” cooperation so that the investigation could achieve its objectives.

They said: “The findings of the investigation must be reported comprehensively and in a transparent manner so that the people will be convinced of the sincerity of the Government which shall not at all conceal facts and the truth.

“The failure to give convincing clarification and answers is feared to have resulted in a crisis of confidence.

“As a consequence, the people believe, whether basing on reality or perception, that this is among the causes for the plunge in the value of the Malaysian Ringgit, impacting the country’s financial market and economic climate negatively and at the same time adversely affecting the world’s view of Malaysia.”

It will be Malaysia’s sovereign shame if Malaysians  have to depend on international investigations launched in various countries like United Kingdom, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg and  United States (under the US Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010) to throw  light on the 1MDB scandal.

Malaysians can still remember the 1MDB investigations by  multi-agency Special Task Force comprising the four Tan Sri chiefs of Bank Negara, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency, the Royal Malaysian Police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers,  and headed by then Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail – but  which completely fizzled out when Gani was sacked as Attorney-General some two months before his compulsory retirement on Oct. 6, 2015.

In view of the Rulers’ concern with 1MDB, which chimes in with the concern of thinking and patriotic Malaysian citizens, the Cabinet should be reminded of the Rulers’ Statement on October 2015, and at its next Cabinet meeting, expand the scope of the Cabinet decision on Wednesday to enlarge the scope of the Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate not only into the Bank Negara forex losses a quarter of a century ago, but the current  losses of the 1MDB scandal which exceed the  Bank Negara forex losses.

I want to repeat my call to the  entire Cabinet to collectively resign next Wednesday if they are unable to purge Malaysia of the ignominy and infamy of the nation  being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy as a result of the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal, or 36 Ministers will go down in Malaysian history  as a Cabinet of kleptocracy, under whose tenure Malaysia acquired the ignominy and infamy  as a “global kleptocracy”!

(Speech at the DAP Kopitiam Dialogue at Kawasan Perindustrian SME, Bandar Indahpura, Kulai on Thursday, 22nd June 2017 at 9 pm)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 June 2017, 2:00 pm and is filed under
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DAP condemns the politics and mentality of kafir against  a Malacca MCA State Exco and calls on moderates in Malaysia to strengthen national resilience against all forms of extremism in the face of threat of  Islamic State of East Asia to spread fanaticism

DAP condemns the politics and mentality of kafir against a Malacca State Exco Member, Datuk Lim Ban Hong , who was referred to as a “kafir” (infidel) in a WhatsApp message on Sunday over his visit to a multi-purpose hall near a mosque in Bukit Rambai, Malacca to hand over Hari Raya goodies.

The Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron had said that it was “uncivilised and uncouth” to label a person as an infidel when Lim was doing a noble deed by providing goodies to the underprivileged.

Extremism of whatever form must not be allowed to rear their ugly heads in plural Malaysia or the strength of Malaysia’s diversity of races, religions, languages and cultures would become our fatal weaknesses to divide and tear the nation asunder.

This is particularly important especially as extremist forces in our society are seeking to establish a beach-head in our society.

It has been reported that the terrorist group, Islamic State (IS) is seeking new ground with  the set-up of Islamic State of East Asia covering Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar and Japan, as the terrorist group is  squeezed out of Iraq and suffering losses in Syria.

For quite some time, terrorism experts  have warned of increasing Malaysian presence and participation in Islamic State terrorist activities, especially the month-long battle for the city of Marawi on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines.

Malaysia does not want to see the senseless bombings and killings in London, Manchester, Paris, Jakarta, Philippines and Teheran happen in Malaysia, and this is why all moderate Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or region, must strengthen national resilience, goodwill and solidarity in plural Malaysia by taking an uncompromising stand against all forms of intolerance, extremism and fanaticism in Malaysia.

Recent incidents of intolerance, extremism and intolerance would include the politics and mentality  of kafir, the demand that non-Muslims should not participate in breaking-of-fast events; the thuggish incident in Kluang where the DAP MP for the area, Liew Chin Tong, was roughed up during his  visit of goodwill and solidarity to  the Kluang Bazaar Ramadan; the escalation of the politics of lies, falsehoods, hate, bigotry and intolerance; and most recently, the shocking statement by the UMNO Information Chief Datuk Annuar Musa that US Department of Justice (DOJ) kleptocratic action to forfeit US$1.7 billion  of 1MDB-linked assets as a result of an international 1MDB money-laundering scandal was “part of a conspiracy to meddle in Malaysia’s affairs because the country had a Muslim-led government”.

Malaysia must set an example of moderation to the world  – but we must not preach the wasatiyyah principles of the moderation, justice, balance and excellence in international platforms but fail to spread the same message among our people in the country.

An example of the extremist and intolerant mindset in plural Malaysia was  the classification of non-Muslim Malaysians as “kafir harbi” who could be slain by the Pahang State Mufti, Datuk Seri Dr. Abdul Rahman Osman last year.

Malaysia can only survive and prosper as an united, harmonious, democratic, progressive and prosperous nation if Malaysians develop a zero tolerance for extremism or fanaticism of whatever form.

(Media Statement after visiting Bazaar Ramadan in Kulai on Thursday, 22nd June 2017 at 6.30 pm)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 23 June 2017, 7:02 am and is filed under
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Hadi has become  greater champion and  defender of Najib and 1MDB scandal than anyone else in UMNO

The 2017 Ramadan is turning out to be an unforgettable Ramadan month  – with unprecedented developments both in the international and national arenas.

In Saudi Arabia, a plot to obliterate the largest Mosque in the world was blocked a day before Ramadan draws to a close.

A would-be suicide bomber who aimed to launch an attack on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, was cornered in an apartment before he could attack Islam’s holiest site, with  Saudi’s interior ministry revealing that  three cells had planned the attack on worshippers and security forces at the mosque.

Two days earlier, Islamic State (IS) militants blew up the Grand al-Nuri Mosque of Mosul and its famous leaning minaret, as Iraqi forces seeking to expel the group from the city closed in on the site. This was where three years ago the IS leader Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi declared a self-styled “caliphate” spanning parts of Syria and Iraq.

Earlier today, Qatar dismissed a list of demands submitted by four Arab countries comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt which cut ties with Qatar earlier this month. The demands  included shutting down the Al Jazeera Media Network, closing a Turkish military base and scaling down ties with Iran.

Nearer home, the Islamic State (IS) has devoted this month’s entire 46-page issue of its propaganda magazine Rumiyah to promoting the group’s “increase in numbers” in East Asia, featuring an interview with Abu Adillah al-Mujahir identified as the “amir (leader) of the soldiers of the Khalifah in East Asia”, covering  Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar and Japan.

Meanwhile, the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division head Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay,  has become a prime target for Indonesian Islamic State (IS) militants who want Ayob eliminated.

In the country, the Ramadan month saw an upsurge of the politics of  hate, distrust, intolerance and extremism causing a crisis of racial and religious polarisation.

Examples of such extremism and fanaticism rearing their ugly heads include the demand that non-Muslims should not participate in breaking-of-fast events; non-Muslims derided as “kafir”;  the thuggish incident in Kluang where the DAP MP for the area, Liew Chin Tong, was roughed up during his visit of goodwill and solidarity to the Kluang Bazaar Ramadan; the concoction and dissemination of downright lies, falsehoods, fake news and false information like the allegation that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) suits to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets had not mentioned the US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace for the  “wife of MO1”, which was the sole concoction of news portal Malaysiakini; the shocking statement by the UMNO Information Chief Datuk Annuar Musa that US Department of Justice (DOJ) kleptocratic action to forfeit US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets as a result of an international 1MDB money-laundering scandal was “part of a conspiracy to meddle in Malaysia’s affairs because the country had a Muslim-led government”, etc.

But the most unforgettable incident in Malaysia in the month of Ramadan must be the transformation of the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, into an even greater champion and defender of Najib and his 1MDB scandal than anyone else in UMNO.

DAP does not support any foreign intervention into Malaysia’s domestic affairs but we cannot also  justify Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy.

DAP is fortified in this stand because there can be no religion which supports corruption or a kleptocracy!

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 June 2017, 4:10 pm and is filed under
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Is Abdul Rahman Dahlan trying to help or hurt Najib, especially on the 1MDB scandal?

Is the Barisan Nasional strategic communications director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan trying to help or hurt the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, especially on the international 1MDB money-laundering scandal, which has landed the country with the appellation of a “global kleptocracy”?

Or is Abdul Rahman so obtuse or dense that he cannot understand that his way of helping Najib is in fact a most potent way to hurt him, furnishing  a life testimony of the saying  “With friends like these, who needs enemies?”.

Five days after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed its third kleptocratic actions to forfeit a total of US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets out of US$4.5 billion 1MDB money-laundering, Abdul Rahman held a media conference to ask why the US DOJ implicated Najib’s wife, Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor when it had no plans to seize the 28 jewellery items, which included a pink diamond necklace valued at US$27.3 million?

Abdul Rahman said the insinuation of impropriety of the “wife of MO1”, implying that she had committed a wrongdoing, was unfair targeting of the Prime Minister’s wife – becoming the first person in Malaysia, in government or outside, to publicly to identify  the “wife of MO1” as Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor – just as Abdul Rahman was the first person  to publicly admit at a BBC interview last September  that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” (“MO1”) was none other than the Prime Minister, Najib himself.

One observation and one correction  are in order.

Firstly, Abdul Rahman seems to enjoy falling  into the trap of openly admitting that the “wife of MO1” is none other than Rosmah, just as he had openly admitted that “MO1” referred to  in the US DOJ kleptocratic forfeitures is none other Najib himself.

Although Abdul Rahman said that  “only an idiot doesn’t know who that person was”, no other Cabinet Minister had backed him back to identity “MO1” as Najib.

In fact, the Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein when asked cast doubts on Abdul Rahman’s admission, claiming that “MO1” could be anyone.

Was the Cabinet ever told that “MO1” is Najib and the “wife of MO1” Rosmah, or are these questions forbidden ones in Cabinet?

Apart from Hishammuddin, are all the other Cabinet Ministers, including those from the other Barisan Nasional parties –  like the three MCA Ministers, Datuk Seri Liew Tiong Lai, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan; Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong (Gerakan President) ; Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam (MIC President); Datuk Fadillah Yusof (PBB Vice President); Datuk M J Ongkili (PBS Deputy President); Wilfred Madius Tangau (UPKO President); Richard Riot Anak Jaem (SUPP Deputy President); Joseph Kurup (President, PBRS); Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun (Deputy President, PRS) – agree with Abdul Rahman that “MO1” is Najib and “wife of MO1” is Rosmah? Dare they state so publicly?

Secondly, Abdul Rahman cannot be more wrong when he said the DOJ suits made an insinuation that 1MDB funds were stolen and money-laundered to purchase the US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace and other 27 pieces of jewellery for Rosmahl

Any reading of the DOJ kleptocratic suits would show that this is  no “insinuation” but a bare statement of fact – made very clear, for instance, in the Paragraph 346 of the 958-Paragraph DOJ forfeiture kleptocratic action, viz:

“346. As discussed in Part VI.CC below, a portion of the $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 jeweler met with LOW, HUSSEINY, and the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 in Monaco. The purchase price of $27,300,000 was paid on or about September 10, 2013, using funds traceable to the $620 million payment from MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 to Tanore.”

But Abdul Rahman pales into the shadow in his infantile defence of “MO1” and “wife of MO1” when  compared  with the “garbage” churned out by UMNO/BN websites and cybertroopers”, who unconscionably and ceaselessly  polluted  the public space with lies, falsehoods, fake news, false information, etc.

One such example is the  BN Backbenchers Club (BNBBC), a portal  representing all the Members of Parliament of the Barisan,  which carried a commentary claiming that the US$27.3 million (RM116 million) pink diamond necklace allegedly acquired using stolen 1MDB funds and gifted to the “wife of MIO1”, does not exist in the DOJ kleptocratic suits  and was solely concocted by Malaysiakini.

This would be easy to establish, and for the past 24 hours since Malaysiakini had exposed the blatant and brazen  lies on the BNBBC  website, this particular commentary had not been retracted and withdrawn.

Was the US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace episode a  complete concoction of Malaysiakini when it had never been mentioned by the US DOJ in its kleptocratic actions to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets as alleged by BNBBC?

Apart from the above-mentioned Paragraph 346 of the DOJ action, which referred to the commissioning of the pink diamond necklace using money-laundered 1MDB funds for the “wife of MO1” in July 2013, there is a four-page 17-Paragraph section entitled
“Low Arrange to Purchase a 22-carat Pink Diamond Necklace for the Wife of MO1 Using Diverted 2013 Bond Proceeds”
, giving  considerable detail of  the purchase of the pink diamond necklace.  The following six paragraphs from the DOJ suits are  sufficient to show that it is BNBBC and not Malaysiakini which committed the cardinal sin of spreading lies, falsehoods, fake news and false information:

“847. Funds traceable to the diverted proceeds of the 2013 bond sale were used to purchase a 22-carat pink diamond, set in a diamond necklace, (“22-CARAT PINK DIAMOND NECKLACE”) for the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1. The stone and necklace were purchased from New York-based jeweler and jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz Inc., which specializes in high-end bespoke diamond jewelry. The total purchase price for the stone and necklace was $27,300,000.

“848. On or about June 2, 2013, LOW texted Lorraine Schwartz (“Schwartz”), the proprietor of Lorraine Schwartz, Inc.: “Need a 18 carrot pink heart diamond vivid or slightly short of vivid. On diamond necklace urgent.” By early July of 2013, Schwartz had identified a pink diamond available for purchase, and she discussed with LOW the logistics of making it available for viewing by him and others. Initially, LOW suggested that he would send HUSSEINY to pick up the diamond from Schwartz in New York. Ultimately, Schwartz agreed to show the diamond to LOW and to the “client” in Monaco. At this time, Schwartz did not know the identity of the “client.”

“849. On or about July 5, 2013, Schwartz traveled to Monaco and met LOW aboard the Topaz, one of the largest private yachts in the world. LOW and TAN had chartered the 147-meter yacht for seven days in early July 2013, and according to an invoice submitted to Falcon Bank, they paid €3.5 million for the rental, using proceeds of the 2013 bonds.

“850. Aboard the Topaz, Schwartz showed the pink diamond to a group of people that included LOW, HUSSEINY, the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1, and one of her friends (“Malaysian Friend”). The group discussed the design of the necklace to hold the 22-carat pink diamond, which itself would be made of smaller diamonds.

“851. On or about September 10, 2013, an email from TAN’s account, with the subject “22 CARAT PINK DIAMOND,” was sent to Schwartz Inc. advising: “pls ensure design, stone, etc. is ready for the VVIP Lorraine met (without stating names) as the VVIP will be in nyc on 23 sept.” An employee of Lorraine Schwartz Inc. responded that the necklace would not be ready by then but that Schwartz would like to “meet the client [to] insure [sic] correct measurement . . . and discuss any final touches needed” on the necklace.

“852. On or about September 28, 2013, Schwartz met again with LOW and the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 in a hotel suite in the Mandarin Time Warner in New York in order to show them the layout of the necklace that Schwartz had designed. Travel records confirm that the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 was in New York City at this time. Travel records show that on September 27, 2013, LOW flew from Las Vegas to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on his jet. Other passengers on that flight included AZIZ, TAN and McFarland…..

“863. The finished 22-CARAT PINK DIAMOND NECKLACE, which included the 22-carat pink diamond as a pendant, was delivered to the Malaysian Friend in Hong Kong on or about March 7, 2014, so that she could deliver it to the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 in Kuala Lumpur. Records reflect that the Malaysian Friend accepted receipt of the necklace “[o]n behalf of” Blackrock.”

The DOJ kleptocratic suits for the  forfeiture of 1MDB-linked assets are available on the Internet, such as the following:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/973671/download

Why were the US$27.3 million 22-carat pink diamond necklace and the other 27 different 18K gold necklaces and bracelets worth US$1.3 million procured with stolen 1MDB funds not on the US DOJ list of forfeitures?

Only US DOJ can give the answer, but may be DOJ needs to establish that the pink diamond necklace and the other 27 pieces of jewellery are in the possession of “wife of MO1”, and Abdul Rahman had been giving immense assistance to DOJ investigations with his admissions on behalf of “wife of MO1”.

American actor Leonardo DiCaprio has turned over an Oscar won by Marlon Brando to DOJ investigators and initiated the return of other, unidentified items that the actor said he accepted as gifts for a charity auction and which originated from 1MDB money-laundering.

This is proof that the DOJ kleptocratic actions to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets are not baseless litigations.

Will “MO1” and “wife of MO1” emulate Leonardo DiCaprio to return the stolen 1MDB funds and the acquisition of various properties from these stolen 1MDB funds to DOJ and eventual return to the people of Malaysia?

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 June 2017, 7:54 am and is filed under
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Kembali kepada fitrah manusia yang saling berkasih sayang, hormat menghormati, bertoleransi dan menolak politik kebencian serta mengadu domba, demi menyelamatkan Malaysia

Perutusan Aidilfitri  pada hari Sabtu, 24 Jun 2017 di Gelang Patah

Syeikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, presiden Forum Memupuk Keamanan dalam Masyarakat Muslim (Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies) dilaporkan berkata dalam World Economic Forum 2017 di Davos Januari lalu, seperti berikut:

“Saya ingin menyeru semua orang yang mempunyai niat yang baik. Kita mesti menyusun gerakan untuk bekerja dan berjuang bersama. Saya tidak menyebut seperti Marx, ‘pekerja sedunia bersatulah’; tetapi saya menyeru orang baik di seluruh dunia supaya bersatu.”

Saya harus bersetuju dengan Bin Bayyah dalam hal ini. Orang baik-baik di seluruh dunia, terutamanya di Malaysia harus mencari titik-titik pertemuan pada nilai-nilai sepunya, agar dapat mendidik masyarakat supaya saling hormat menghormati dan bertoleransi serta saling memahami, dalam usaha besar untuk menyelamatkan Malaysia daripada menjadi sebuah negara yang mempunyai masyarakat yang gagal dan saling bercakaran sesama sendiri.

Kita percaya bahawa manusia secara fitrahnya dilahirkan tanpa rasa saling membenci dan bermusuhan. Aidilfitri pula ertinya kembali kepada fitrah, yang bukan sahaja bersih dan suci dari dosa tetapi juga kembali kepada asas fitrah insani yang tidak mempunyai prejudis perkauman atau diskriminasi berasaskan keturunan, agama, daerah mahupun latar ekonomi.

Oleh yang demikian, bersempena dengan Aidilfitri kali ini, saya ingin menyeru seluruh rakyat Malaysia agar kembali kepada asas-asas kemanusiaan; selain kembali kepada asas-asas yang telah dibina oleh mereka yang terdahulu dalam membangunkan negara yang berbilang kaum dan agama.

Malaysia dibina atas asas kepelbagaian dan kemajmukan budaya, bahasa dan tradisi. Inilah intipati kepada semangat Malaysia untuk rakyat Malaysia, yang merupakan solusi kepada permasalahan yang sedang kita hadapi hari ini, di tengah kemelut sentimen politik perkauman dan agama yang ditiup demi kepentingan kuasa pihak tertentu, yang pastinya merugikan dan merosakkan fabrik masyarakat.

Akhir-akhir ini kita dijamu lagi dengan permainan politik perkauman dan agama yang pastinya lebih mudah memujuk sensitiviti, berbanding isu-isu yang lebih penting seperti cukai GST terhadap senarai 60 barang kegunaan tambahan, yang tiba-tiba sahaja dibatalkan walaupun sudah diwartakan selama hampir dua minggu. Bukan itu sahaja, sentimen kaum dan agama terus digunakan untuk menutup salah laku Malaysian Official 1 dan isterinya, yang terus didedahkan oleh Jabatan Kehakiman Amerika Syarikat (DOJ).

Bulan Ramadan kali ini memperlihatkan bagaimana dunia terus bergolak dengan sikap ektremisme atau disebut tatharruf dalam beragama, berbanding mengambil jalan tengah wasatiyah; yang akhirnya membawa akibat buruk kepada pertembungan antara kaum dan agama termasuk serangan-serangan di Eropah dan paling dekat di Marawi, Filipina.

Saya ingin mengajak rakyat Malaysia agar menjadikan Aidilfitri kali ini sebagai peluang untuk saling bertoleransi dan menolak fahaman melampau dan berlebih-lebihan sehingga membawa kepada pergolakan antara kita sesama rakyat Malaysia.

Semalam saya melihat bagaimana masyarakat Kluang dapat sama-sama meraikan kedatangan Syawal dengan penuh harmoni dan muhibbah dalam perkongsian oleh Ahli Parlimen Kluang, Liew Chin Tong yang hadir ke program ‘Grab a Dodol’ anjuran Datuk Khairul Anwar, yang juga penganjur forum ‘Nothing to Hide’.

Liew Chin Tong tempoh hari dikasari oleh sekumpulan samseng ketika mengedarkan kurma di Bazar Ramadan Kluang yang cuba menghalang beliau daripada masuk ke kawasan yang khabarnya dikuasai penyokong UMNO, setelah lebih sejam berjalan dan mengedarkan kurma dalam keadaan aman harmoni. Pelbagai andaian dibuat, tidak kurang juga pemimpin UMNO tempatan yang menyokong kekasaran terbabit. Namun acara semalam, yang dianjurkan oleh seorang pemimpin UMNO, membuktikan bahawa rakyat Malaysia sebenarnya mampu untuk kembali kepada asas kemajmukan yang meraikan kepelbagaian dan menolak politik keganasan, samseng dan fitnah-memfitnah.

Janganlah kita terpengaruh dengan politik hasad dengki yang memecah-belahkan kita sebagai sebuah masyarakat yang saling hormat menghormati, kasih-mengasihi dan hidup dalam sebuah negara yang harmoni.

Jadikanlah Aidilfitri kali ini sebagai peluang untuk saling bermaaf-maafan, dan peluang untuk membersihkan diri dan negara daripada daki-daki korupsi, rasuah dan salahguna kuasa yang telah membawa Malaysia ke persada kutukan antarabangsa sebagai sebuah kleptokrasi global yang diperintah oleh perompak, penyamun dan pencuri.

Pada masa yang sama, kita tidak mahu melihat negara menjadi tempat berulangnya manifestasi ekstremisme seperti yang berlaku di London, Manchester, Paris, Jakarta, Filipina dan Tehran. Inilah sebabnya kenapa seluruh rakyat Malaysia yang mempunyai niat dan tujuan yang baik, mesti sama-sama berganding bahu menyatakan pendirian jelas menolak segala bentuk sikap tidak toleran, ekstremisme dan sikap fanatik tidak kira dalam apa jua segi di Malaysia.

Malaysia hanya boleh terus bergerak menuju sebuah negara yang aman makmur dan harmoni, sekiranya kita semua bersetuju dengan nasihat Bin Bayyah supaya bersatu atas satu niat yang baik, dan membina toleransi sifar terhadap ekstremisme kaum, agama dan sikap fanatik dalam apa jua bentuk.

Saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan salam Aidifitri kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Maaf zahir dan batin.

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 24 June 2017, 8:59 am and is filed under
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Syed Saddiq is responsible for the intensity of the UMNO propaganda campaign, even roping in PAS President and several state muftis, to ensure Malaysians do not focus on Rosmah’s US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace but on the fairy tale of foreign intervention during the Hari Raya holidays

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Youth Wing Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has frightened the UMNO propaganda bigwigs with his call to Malaysians to keep alive the controversial issue of US$ 27.3 million jewellery bought for the wife of Malaysian Offical 1 (MO1) during the entire Hari Raya celebration.

US Department of Justice (DOJ)  had drawn the ire of the Barisan Nasioanl Strategic Communications Director,  Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan who publicly  asked why it had implicated Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor  as “wife of MO1” for committing a wrongdoing when it did not intend to seize the 28 jewellery items, including the pink diamond necklace, from Rosmah.

Just as Abdul Rahman had no problem publicly admitting in an interview with BBB in September last year that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” (“MO1”) was none other than the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and even saying “only an idiot does not know who that person was”, he had no qualms in publicly admitting that the “wife of MO1” was none other than Rosmah herself.

At least, on the matter of “MO1” and “wife of MO1”, Abdul Rahman was being forthright and truthful unlike his other Ministerial colleagues, including Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who moved heavens and earth to deny knowing or suspecting the identity of  these two  personalities in the DOJ suits.

But BN strategic communications director’s fatal error was not  to realise that the ordinary people are smarter than the propagandists, as for instance, their not being misled by Abdul Rahman’s rhetorical question as to why the DOJ had implicated the Prime Minister’s wife for it had no intention to forfeit the 28 jewellery items alleged to have been bought by Jho Low for her using stolen 1MDB funds, but zeroing in  on the fact that there had been no denial of the allegations presented by DOJ with regard to Jho Low’s purchase of the 28 jewellery items, including the US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace, as gifts to Rosmah from stolen 1MDB funds.

It speaks volumes that although more than a week had elapsed since the DOJ’s third kleptocratic actions to seize a total of US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets from over US$4.5 billion of laundering of stolen 1MDB funds using American banks and financial institutions, there has not been a single denial about the facts with regard to the gifts of 28 jewellery items to Rosmah from the stolen 1MDB funds.

If Abdul Rahman could publicly admit that “MO1” is Najib and “wife of MO1” is Rosmah, would he withhold denial that Rosmah had been given gifts of the US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace and 27 other jewellery items by Jho Low if these were not the case?

Suddenly, Syed Saddiq’s call to Malaysian youths to return to the kampongs to share the scandal of Rosmah’s pink diamond necklace and 27 other jewellery items assumed greater importance and became a grave threat to the political future and survival of Najib, UMNO and Barisan Nasional, and hence the need to counter and neutralise it became imperative.

Thus the escalation of the propaganda to spread the fairy tale that the DOJ kleptocratic suits were unacceptable violation of Malaysia’s sovereignty and  foreign intervention with the country’s domestic affairs, when these were never the issues or the Cabinet last Wednesday would not have ignored the sjubject or the Foreign Ministry failed to make any protests the US government in the past ten days.

Syed Saddiq is therefore responsible for the intensity of the UMNO propaganda campaign, even roping in the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang  and several state muftis, from Pahang, Perak, Melaka and Federal Territory, to ensure Malaysians do not focus on Rosmah’s US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace and the DOJ suits  but on the fairy tale of foreign intervention during the Hari Raya holidays.

Which narrative would win the day during the Hari Raya holidays?

We will know soon enough, but I am confident that Malaysians, including the overwhelming majority of UMNO and PAS rank-and-file, do not support corruption or Malaysia as a global kleptocracy, while all Malaysians stand as one to oppose any foreign intervention into Malaysia’s domestic affairs.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 June 2017, 9:28 am and is filed under
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Zeti says Bank Negara powerless to act against 1MDB

FMT Reporters | June 24, 2017

1MDB probe was one of the toughest moments during her 16-year tenure as governor of central bank, says Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara Malaysia was powerless to take further action than just some fines to “relevant bodies and financial institutions” over breach of regulations in relation to the 1MDB case.

This was the admission by former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, who added that the handling of the 1MDB case was one of her toughest moments in office, Sin Chew Daily reported.

“Although outsiders had very high expectations from Bank Negara, nevertheless, it did not have the power to prosecute.

“Bank Negara has the most comprehensive laws, including the Central Bank of Malaysia Act 2009 and Financial Services Act 2013 to preserve the integrity, stability and healthy functioning of the financial system.

“So, we could issue letters of administrative compound to relevant bodies and financial institutions breaching Bank Negara’s regulations in the 1MDB case. I would say the fines were probably the highest in history,” she told the Chinese vernacular daily, explaining how the whole matter was settled with the fine being paid.

She added that the primary objective of BNM in dealing with the 1MDB case was to ensure the integrity of the country’s financial system.

In March last year, BNM said it would initiate “appropriate action” against 1MDB for failing to produce evidence it had used the allocated US$1.83 billion for debt management and restructuring exercises overseas. 1MDB had initially cited these two reasons when asked why the money had not been repatriated to Malaysian shores.

BNM then fined 1MDB on April 28, giving the state-owned investment fund a May 30 deadline to settle the fine. 1MDB paid the fine on May 25, and with that, new BNM governor Muhammad Ibrahim said the central bank’s investigations into 1MDB had concluded.

The fine was one of the last actions by Zeti before she retired on April 30 last year, with deputy governor Muhammad Ibrahim taking over the next day.

Zeti also refused to be drawn into the helplessness of her position in doing more pertaining to the 1MDB case.

She defended her role, saying that as BNM governor she was not allowed to have any personal views on the issues, as it could distract her.

“Unlike other people, we must learn to focus, because the outcome of our work was for the people and the business sector, not personal feelings.

“Of course, I was also a human being and I had my feelings too, but I must put that aside. I was aware of my responsibilities.

“We knew Bank Negara was very important to the country. We didn’t want to see it destroyed. And that was one of my considerations,” Zeti said.

Prior to the 1MDB probe and fine by BNM early last year, the central bank had already acted against AmBank, issuing a fine of RM53.7 million for breaching anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism finance obligations.

The Australian newspaper reported in November 2015 that AmBank paid a RM53.7 million fine after Bank Negara found it had breached anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism finance obligations in relation to “politically exposed persons”. The report said that the breaches were linked to the 1MDB scandal.

Zeti has since moved to Iclif, an organisation created and funded by BNM since 2003. She is the chairman of the organisation which is an Asia-based international centre dedicated to executive education, research, coaching and consulting services in the areas of leadership development, organisational effectiveness and corporate governance

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 25 June 2017, 5:59 am and is filed under
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1MDB: What Next for Scandal Bankers?

finews.com

26 June 2017 | Written by Katharina Bart

Singapore’s financial regulator has closed the door on a two-year investigation over 1MDB. But Swiss banks – and bankers – are by no means off the hook. finews.com looks at who is sweating more than usual this summer.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore, or MAS, head Ravi Menon  called BSI «the worst case of control lapses and gross misconduct» he had ever seen in Singapore finance. Six people were referred to Singapore’s prosecutor.

Two years after beginning to probe how banks in the city-state catered to 1MDB’s financial machinations, MAS has shut the investigation, levying nearly S$30 million in fines against UBS, Credit Suisse, DBS, Standard Chartered, UOB, Coutts & Co as well as Falcon Private Bank and Banca della Svizzera Italiana.

Brunner Sweating it Out

Falcon and BSI were hardest hit, paying combined S$17.6 million in fines before being sent packing. Falcon has returned its bank licenses to MAS, which takes its entirely off the regular’s radar, while BSI has begun integrating into acquirer EFG International, which achieves the same aim.

Three former BSI bankers including wealth planner Yeo Jiawei have been convicted or pled guilty. Three more including Asia private banking veteran Hanspeter Brunner and his deputy, Raj Sriram, await the outcome of investigations.

A source familiar with the matter told finews.com that the prosecutor continues to investigate whether it can make a criminal case stick against either of the two. As finews.com previously reported, the Swiss-born Brunner, who was decorated as Asian Private Banker of the year in 2010, cannot leave Singapore until the matter is resolved.

Falcon Wound Down

By contrast, Falcon’s 1MDB mess is almost entirely cleaned up: its former branch manager in Singapore, Jens Sturzenegger, has returned to Switzerland, finews.com reported exclusively last week.

Sturzenegger, the only Swiss banker thus far to be charged over 1MDB, now faces the daunting task of restoring his reputation in Switzerland, where 1MDB rocked the banking sector nearly as much as in Singapore.

The few remaining staff that Falcon maintains in Singapore to wind down the branch have moved into a smaller, temporary office in Centennial Tower, and the firm is expected to deregister – effectively disappear – shortly.

Swiss Banker Sanctions

What else awaits the bankers as Brunner and Sriram sweat it out to hear whether they will face charges?

Switzerland has also started enforcement proceedings against four unnamed bankers: two each from BSI and Falcon. A lawyer for Brunner, formerly of BSI, confirmed the Swiss banker is the subject in one probe.

Personal Legacy in Tatters

Swiss regulator Finma wouldn’t say who the other three bankers are, but made clear last May when it helped Singapore shut the bank down that it wasn’t happy with BSI’s C-Suite.

«Right up to top management level there was a lack of critical attitude needed to identify, limit and oversee the substantial legal and reputational risks inherent in the relationships,» Finma wrote in criticism which left little doubt that it viewed BSI as rotting from the head down.

Finma was also unusually pointed in a summary against Falcon: The bank had effectively been hijacked by its Abu Dhabi owners, two of whom – Khadem al-Qubaisi and Mohamed Badawy al-Husseiny – used the bank for their own purposes.

Scores of people including former Falcon boss Eduardo Leemann, former BSI boss Stefano Coduri, star Asia banker Brunner or al-Qubaisi and al-Husseiny – have been wiped out by the scandal. Some, such as former Falcon operating chief Tobias Ungerer, who now works in business process outsourcing for Avaloq, left of their own accord.

Ex-BSI chairman Alfredo Gysi, who retired when the bank was bought by BTG Pactual, has disappeared into the obscurity of London’s art patronage, watching from afar as his legacy is dismantled by 1MDB.

The elder statesman of Swiss banking had, at Brunner’s urging, singled out Yak Yew Chee for praise for bringing in 1MDB business (see below); Yak later pled guilty to several charges and served jail time.

It is impossible to decipher which BSI or Falcon bankers or board members – besides BSI’s Brunner – Finma has opened fit and proper proceedings against, or what the findings might be.

Typically, enforcement proceedings against people – when lawyers become involved and individuals are less inclined to roll over and admit wrong-doing, take longer than those against firms.

Finma still has three investigations into firms over 1MDB left to conclude, from seven overall.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 June 2017, 9:22 pm and is filed under
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Call for the  report of the Special Task Force on Bank Negara forex losses in early 1990s  to be made public

Ministers of the sixth Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, say the darndest things but Najib’s Cabinet has made the darndest decision last Wednesdy, when the Ministers glued their eyes and minds to a quarter of a century ago to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into  Bank Negara foreign exchanges losses scandal but were totally blind to the present and future – in particular the multi-billion dollar 1MDB world money-laundering scandal which had catapulted Malaysia to international infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy.

The chairman of the Special Task Force (STF) into Bank Negara’s forex losses in early nineties, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan,  said that the STS’ recommendation for a RCI into the Bank Negara’s forex losses a quarter of a century was to bring closure to the issue.

The question Malaysians want answer  is why the former Chief Secretary  to the Government and the STS members were  totally unconcerned about bringing a  closure to the 1MDB scandal, considering the  shame and humiliation it has brought to Malaysians and the nation?

When I was summoned to appear before the STS on May 4, I reiterated that I stood by my call in Parliament 26 years ago in April 1991 for a RCI into the Bank Negara forex losses, but I asked whether the Cabinet was really interested about accountability and good governance principles?

I said that  the “real lesson” of the Bank Negara forex losses was the “failure” of Ministers, top civil servants, MPs and the press at the time to “play their respective role to uphold the principles and accountability and good governance”.

I asked the STS  why everybody in government is now missing the elephant in the room, the international 1MDB scandal, and whether Malaysians have to wait for another  quarter of a century before a special task force would be formed to exhume the “elephant carcass” of the 1MDB scandal?

Did the STS  make this important point in its report to the Cabinet?

The report of STS  should be made public, if it is to be the first step to restore accountability and good governance in the country.

There appears to be three  important omissions from those who were asked to appear before the STS  – the Prime Minister at the time, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad; the present Prime Minister who was the Defence Minister at the time; and the Chief Secretary to the government at the relevant period, Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid.

Could Sidek explain the reason for these three omissions?

I am quite puzzled by Sidek’s interview implying that only an RCI could have access to documents relating to the forex losses from the Finance Ministry and Bank Negara, as the STS was “established on an administrative basis and not under any legislation”.

Sidek said that STF had no power to coerce anyone to come forward for any discussion or to give any information,   adding that it only had access to documents that were available to the public, such as BNM’s annual reports and consultations between the central bank and the International Monetary Fund.

He said: “We also cannot compel anyone to come forward. Even if you ask them to come and they don’t want to come, there is no issue about it.

“And even if they came and we questioned them, and they refused to answer, we cannot do anything about it.

“And it was not under oath. Even if they answered, we don’t know if that was the truth.”

I am at a loss as to how the Ministry of Finance and Bank Negara can refuse to furnish to the STS the relevant documents required to get to the bottom of the Bank Negara forex losses a quarter of a century ago, as it is formed by the Cabinet.

Although the STS was an administrative decision of the Cabinet and not formed under any legislation, is Sidek suggesting that there had been  Finance Ministry and Bank Negara officials who had refused to co-operate with STS by  refusing to furnish the relevant documents and information on the Bank Negara forex losses?

Were these Finance Ministry and Bank Negara officials identified  in the STS report?

This  provides a fresh ground why the STS report should be made public.

Are administrative measures being taken  to penalize the Finance Ministry and Bank Negara officials who had refused to co-operate with the STS by contending that the STS had no adequate legislative powers to compel them to disclose the relevant information on Bank Negara forex losses a quarter of a century ago?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 June 2017, 10:43 am and is filed under
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Najib should give meaning to his Aidilfitri address to avoid slanderous statements by ensuring that his government and UMNO/BN do not become the father of lies, fake news and false information

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in his televised  Aidilfitra address has warned against slanderous statements disseminated by “irresponsible parties” especially on social media.

I support Najib’s call and urge the Prime Minister to give meaning to his Aidilfitri address to avoid slanderous statements by ensuring that his government and the UMNO/Barisan Nasional coalition which he leads do not become the father of lies, fake news and false information.

Recently, there are more and more examples of the UMNO/BN government and coalition guilty of the heinous sin of hypocrisy, preaching the iniquity of fake news and false information on the one hand while  at the same time concocting fake news and false information on the other.

Without going back to the past where UMNO/BN were guilty of the most heinous lies and falsehoods to demonise DAP and DAP leaders, like  alleging that I had been responsible for the May 13,1969 riots and had led illegal processions through the streets of Kuala Lumpur resulting in the May 13 riots although I was never in Kuala Lumpur at the relevant period, I will cite three recent examples of such lies, falsehoods, fake news and false information.

The first recent lie and slander perpetrated by UMNO/BN government/coalition:

1.	A commentary on the BN BackBackbenchers Council (BNBBC) portal uploaded  five days ago on June 21 which  claimed that allegation that the US$27.3 million (RM116 million) pink diamond necklace,  acquired using stolen funds and gifted to the “wife of Malaysian Official 1”, does not exist in the US Department of Justice third civil forfeiture suit on 1MDB.

The BNBBC portal, https://www.bnbbc.my/berlian-hanya-mainan-persepsi-portal-malaysiakini/, which represents all the Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament, claimed that the jewellery storhy  was a creation of news portal Malaysiakini.

This is a downright lie, as any  reading of the DOJ kleptocratic suits would show that the pink diamond necklace allegation was specifically mentioned in Paragraph 346 of the updated 958-Paragraph DOJ forfeiture kleptocratic actions and in a four-page 17-Paragraph section entitled “Low Arrange to Purchase a 22-carat Pink Diamond Necklace for the Wife of MO1 Using Diverted 2013 Bond Proceeds”.

Paragraph 346 of the US DOJ suits reads:

“346. As discussed in Part VI.CC below, a portion of the $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 jeweler met with LOW, HUSSEINY, and the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 in Monaco. The purchase price of $27,300,000 was paid on or about September 10, 2013, using funds traceable to the $620 million payment from MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 to Tanore.”

Only reference to the following six paragraphs in the four-page 17-Paragraph section on the pink diamond necklace will suffice:

“847. Funds traceable to the diverted proceeds of the 2013 bond sale were used to purchase a 22-carat pink diamond, set in a diamond necklace, (“22-CARAT PINK DIAMOND NECKLACE”) for the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1. The stone and necklace were purchased from New York-based jeweler and jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz Inc., which specializes in high-end bespoke diamond jewelry. The total purchase price for the stone and necklace was $27,300,000.

“848. On or about June 2, 2013, LOW texted Lorraine Schwartz (“Schwartz”), the proprietor of Lorraine Schwartz, Inc.: “Need a 18 carrot pink heart diamond vivid or slightly short of vivid. On diamond necklace urgent.” By early July of 2013, Schwartz had identified a pink diamond available for purchase, and she discussed with LOW the logistics of making it available for viewing by him and others. Initially, LOW suggested that he would send HUSSEINY to pick up the diamond from Schwartz in New York. Ultimately, Schwartz agreed to show the diamond to LOW and to the “client” in Monaco. At this time, Schwartz did not know the identity of the “client.”

“849. On or about July 5, 2013, Schwartz traveled to Monaco and met LOW aboard the Topaz, one of the largest private yachts in the world. LOW and TAN had chartered the 147-meter yacht for seven days in early July 2013, and according to an invoice submitted to Falcon Bank, they paid €3.5 million for the rental, using proceeds of the 2013 bonds.

“850. Aboard the Topaz, Schwartz showed the pink diamond to a group of people that included LOW, HUSSEINY, the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1, and one of her friends (“Malaysian Friend”). The group discussed the design of the necklace to hold the 22-carat pink diamond, which itself would be made of smaller diamonds.

“851. On or about September 10, 2013, an email from TAN’s account, with the subject “22 CARAT PINK DIAMOND,” was sent to Schwartz Inc. advising: “pls ensure design, stone, etc. is ready for the VVIP Lorraine met (without stating names) as the VVIP will be in nyc on 23 sept.” An employee of Lorraine Schwartz Inc. responded that the necklace would not be ready by then but that Schwartz would like to “meet the client [to] insure [sic] correct measurement . . . and discuss any final touches needed” on the necklace.

“852. On or about September 28, 2013, Schwartz met again with LOW and the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 in a hotel suite in the Mandarin Time Warner in New York in order to show them the layout of the necklace that Schwartz had designed. Travel records confirm that the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 was in New York City at this time. Travel records show that on September 27, 2013, LOW flew from Las Vegas to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on his jet. Other passengers on that flight included AZIZ, TAN and McFarland…..

“863. The finished 22-CARAT PINK DIAMOND NECKLACE, which included the 22-carat pink diamond as a pendant, was delivered to the Malaysian Friend in Hong Kong on or about March 7, 2014, so that she could deliver it to the wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 in Kuala Lumpur. Records reflect that the Malaysian Friend accepted receipt of the necklace “[o]n behalf of” Blackrock.”

The only truth in the BNBBC website commentary is a Quranic verse, stating that slander is a bigger sin than murder – Firman Allah SWT dalam Surah Al Baqarah, ayat 217 “Dan fitnah itu lebih besar dosanya daripada membunuh”.

The second recent lie and slander perpetrated by UMNO/BN government/coalition:

2.	Five days after the US DOJ filed its third kleptocratic actions to forfeit a total of US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets out of US$4.5 billion 1MDB money-laundering, the Barisan Nasional strategic media director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the insinuation of impropriety of Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor  as “wife of MO1”, implying that she had committed a wrongdoing, was unfair targeting and asked why the US DOJ implicated Rosmah as “wife of MO1”,  when it had no plans to seize the 28 jewellery items, which included a pink diamond necklace valued at US$27.3 million?

Abdul Rahman was guilty of downright lie, as the US DOJ did not make an insinuation that 1MDB funds were stolen and money-laundered to purchase the US$27.3 million pink diamond necklace and other 27 pieces of jewellery for Rosmah, but gave facts and figures in the US DOJ forfeiture suits, all in black and white, and there could be nothing more specific about the allegations of money-laundering and diversion of 1MDB funds for lavish private and  personal high life.

The third  recent lie and slander perpetrated by UMNO/BN government/coalition:

3.	The lie and slander spread not only by UMNO propagandists but now also by the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang is  that the US DOJ kleptocratic suits to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets in United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland are  a form of foreign intervention in Malaysia.

I fully agree with the AMANAH MP for Sepang, Mohahed Hanipa Maidin, who said that Hadi’s remark “smacks of utter ignorance”, demonstrates the “failure of the PAS President to grasp the whole issue of 1MDB” and  “such careless criticism only tarnishes any residual image of PAS”.

Were the 36 Ministers in Cabinet (including Najib himself) totally remiss, unpatriotic and disloyal in failing to protest against the US Government if the US DOJ kleptocratic actions, first filed 11 months ago, were  foreign intervention in Malaysia’s domestic affairs?

Did Najib, who  attended the Arab-Islamic-US Summit with US President Trump in Riyadh in May, protest to the US President about the US DOJ “foreign intervention” in Malaysia?

Credit must be given to the Foreign Minister, Datuk Anifah Aman who said as far back as August last year that the US DOJ actios were  no US intervention in Malaysia’s domestic affairs.

Anifah explained that the DOJ action was due to  the transactions taking place in the US.

He said: “The US is investigating the matter because there were transactions that happened in their country”.

Are PAS President and UMNO leaders suggesting that Anifah is not fit to be Foreign Minister as he had betrayed national interests in holding that the US DOJ action is no  foreign intervention in Malaysia’s internal affairs?

Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation, do not want any foreign invervention in Malaysia’s domestic affairs.

I also do not believe that the  overwhelming majority of UMNO and PAS members will support corruption and Malaysia becoming a kleptocracy although there is an attempt to disseminate lies and  falsehoods by UMNO/BN propagandists and Hadi that the US DOJ kleptocratic suits represent a foreign intervention in Malaysia’s internal affairs.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 26 June 2017, 3:38 pm and is filed under
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Malaysian Reactions to DOJ Lawsuits Reflect Ignorance and Corrupted Concept of Justice

M. Bakri Musa

June 27, 2017

America is a Rorschach Test to most foreigners. What they view as America reveals more of themselves than of America; likewise, how they react to events in America.

            One visitor to Washington, DC, would see only the homeless under the bridges, potholes on the streets, and “adult” stores at very corner; others, The Smithsonian, Georgetown University, and the National Institutes of Health. The contrasting observations reflect volumes on the observers.

            Consider the Malaysian responses to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits relating to alleged illicit siphoning of funds from 1MDB. I am not referring to the kopi-o babbling in the echo chamber of UMNO-paid “cyber-troopers” that pollutes the social media. They are pet parrots; babbling whatever is coached to them. With a different master offering more leftovers they could be made to change their tune.

            What interests me instead are the responses of ministers and commentators. Their utterances expose their appalling ignorance of the American justice system. They also reveal much of themselves, as per Rorschach’s insight.

            One minister, eager to be seen as his master’s favorite lapdog, asserted that DOJ is being influenced by the Malaysian opposition. On cue, the other hounds and bitches piled on. A hitherto severe critic of the establishment pontificated that a former champion college debater together with Mahathir and Daim Zainuddin were involved.

            Heady stuff for a young man! Though flattered, Syed Saddiq went ahead and filed a police report against that blogger! Mahathir described best those who believed such canards: “Bodoh luar biasa!” (Extraordinarily stupid!)

            Those characters must also believe that the American judicial system is like Malaysia’s, where prosecutors could be influenced or paid off a la one Shafee Abdullah. Sarawak Report alleged that he was paid RM9.5 million from Najib’s slush fund before being appointed special prosecutor in Anwar Ibrahim’s case. Shafee has not denied that.

            Another minister declared DOJ’s charges ‘mere’ allegations. Sorry, no marks for stating the obvious. A former journalist-turn-blogger echoed that, and proceeded, for emphasis, to reprint in bold the DOJ’s caution.

            Of course DOJ’s accusations, like all court complaints, are “alleged” until adjudicated by the court. DOJ must have credible evidence to not waste taxpayers’ money on frivolous lawsuits. The jury would not buy it. DOJ does not allege any Joe on the street of corruption.

            Those who believe otherwise must think that DOJ and American courts are like Malaysia’s where prosecutors could be bought to bring on cases with the flimsiest of evidences and still find judges to convict, as with Anwar’s case.

            That is not a far stretch. A few years ago, a defense lawyer known for his amazing ‘skills’ in getting his clients acquitted was caught on videotape assuring his listener that he had the judge in his pocket. The lawyer’s utterance, “Correct! Correct! Correct!” would forever be embedded in the annals of shame in the Malaysian judiciary.

            Then there was the character who insinuated that the ‘inactivity’ of DOJ since its first filing a year earlier reveals its sinister political motive. Had he followed the court’s calendar he would have noted the flurry of activities. Among them, the successful challenge by the new trustee of some of the seized properties to be represented.

            This character went on to opine that since her initial filing in July 2016, US Attorney-General Loretta Lynch had been “fired,” implying that the lawsuit was without merit. Such willful ignorance reveals a deliberate attempt to mislead. Lynch was a political appointee, and with President Trump’s election all such appointees were replaced. Further, the second filing was by her successor.

            Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid, a local PhD, implied that all the furor over 1MDB were fake news, the concoctions of hostile foreign media! It is instructive that this character did his dissertation on the local media. To him, the likes of The Wall Street Journal are like Utusan Melayu. His response reveals as much about him as the institution that awarded him his doctorate.

            A junior minister accused the Americans of trying to topple Najib, in cahoots with the opposition. Not too long ago he and others were lapping at pictures of Najib golfing with President Obama. That minister however, did not see fit to lead a demonstration at the embassy in defense of Malaysia. Some jantan!

            It is unfortunate that this non-too bright character’s remarks resonated with simple villagers.

            A senior minister, a little brighter being that he was a London-trained lawyer, dismissed the whole DOJ affair. Malaysia had other far more important issues to attend to, he sniffed. If the staggering sums of the loot did not impress him, what about the charges of corruption levelled at the highest government official, cryptically referred to as “Malaysian Official 1.” That should be his and all Malaysians’ top priority.

            Yet another minister advised everyone not to panic. The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Nobody was panicking except her crowd.

            Attorney-General Apandi was miffed that DOJ did not consult him. DOJ’s lawsuits were prompted to protect American financial institutions from the corrupting influences of dirty foreign funds. It does not need Malaysia’s ‘help,’ more so considering that Apandi had declared no wrongdoing.

            Apandi was also upset at the criminal insinuations against the prime minister. His comment unwittingly revealed what he thinks of his job, less as chief prosecutor, more as Najib’s private attorney. No wonder his “investigations” exonerated Najib! Apandi also unwittingly confirmed that MO1 is in fact Najib and that the activities he was alleged to have been engaged in were criminal in nature.

            If the responses were revealing, the non-response or silence was even more so. The lawsuits allege that billions were illicitly siphoned from the company, and it is mentioned umpteen times in the complaints. Yet 1MDB did not seek to be represented as a party of interest. This reflects its management’s inability to separate the company’s interests from those of its officers’. Najib is 1MDB’s chairman. The management confuses Najib with the company. Management is not looking after the company’s interest in not seeking representation, which was how the mess started in the first place.

            Malaysian officials’ responses to DOJ’s lawsuits did not reflect well on them or Malaysia. I can hardly wait for their reactions or “spin” when this DOJ investigation goes on to its next inevitable phase, the filing of criminal charges and or when one of the defendants becomes a prosecution witness.

            Meanwhile, fake news or not and collusion or not, MO1, his spouse, or stepson will not be stepping foot in America any time soon, if ever. That is revealing.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27 June 2017, 4:56 pm and is filed under
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