DAP “egosentrik”? Benarkah begitu wahai anak muda?

oleh WAN HAMIDI HAMID

Roketkini

3 Julai 2015

Sekalung tahniah untuk sekumpulan 146 aktivis politik yang menggelar diri sebagai Anak Muda atas keberanian menyuarakan keinginan mereka kepada sebuah kerajaan alternatif.

Pada masa yang sama, mungkin kerana salah faham atau kurang maklumat, ada yang membuat generalisasi bahawa “Anak muda berasa mual melihat parti-parti yang kononnya berpakat, tetapi gagal mengurus egosentrik lantas memberi talian hayat kepada Kerajaan minoriti Barisan Nasional”.

Sebenarnya ayat lazim seperti ini tidak akan membantu kepada penyelesaian masalah. “Mual”, “egosentrik”, “talian hayat” kepada musuh politik adalah antara kata-kata yang penuh dengan pelbagai telahan negatif.

Tuduhan seperti itu sama seperti sikap seorang guru sekolah yang menyangka dirinya adil dengan menghukum kedua-dua pembuli dan mangsa yang dibuli tanpa sebarang siasatan.

Gabungan baru demi rakyat

Kumpulan anak muda tersebut mahu kepada Gabungan Baru Demi Rakyat dengan mengharapkan “Parti-parti pembangkang perlu konsisten dalam menjadikan harapan rakyat sebagai fundamental kerjasama, seterusnya memangkas perbezaan dan memberi tumpuan untuk merealisasikan perubahan”.

Memang baik tujuannya. Malah, jika disemak semula Dasar Bersama Pakatan Rakyat melalui Buku Jingga serta beberapa perisytiharan bersamanya, memang itulah yang dilaksanakan oleh ketiga-tiga bekas komponen Pakatan Rakyat – PAS, PKR dan DAP sejak 2008.

Sehinggalah PAS yang dipimpin ulamak memutuskan hubungan dan kerjasama dengan DAP, dan keputusan itu dibuat sebulat suara dalam Muktamar PAS bulan Jun lalu.

Mengapa PAS berbuat demikian? Kerana pimpinannya menyalahkan DAP yang bertegas mahu berpegang kepada Dasar Bersama Pakatan Rakyat, iaitu tidak menyentuh tentang soal hudud, sedangkan PAS pimpinan ulamak bermati-matian mahu menguatkuasakan hudud tanpa mempedulikan Dasar Bersama Pakatan Rakyat.

Adakah DAP yang wajar dituduh bersikap egoistik dan angkuh kerana berpegang kepada Dasar Bersama Pakatan Rakyat? Adakah DAP yang membuat keputusan untuk memutuskan hubungan dan kerjasama dengan PAS? Adakah DAP yang terlibat dengan gara-gara “unity government” dengan UMNO?

Memang bukan golongan anak muda ini yang membuat tuduhan-tuduhan sedemikian. Mereka jauh lebih matang untuk bermain dengan sentimen seperti ini.

Namun, tuduhan berat sebelah ini sering memenuhi ruang alam siber dan media sosial. Dan ia kadang-kadang dimamah juga oleh mereka yang masih mengikat diri dengan politik kaum dan agama.

Jelas bererti eksplisit

Jika perlu wujud satu gabungan pembangkang nasional yang baru, ia perlu meneliti semula dasar bersama Pakatan atau mungkin memperkenalkan draf yang baru yang sepatutnya lebih baik.

Kumpulan anak muda telah mencadangkan supaya “Gabungan yang baru ini perlulah lebih kemas dengan dipandu terma-terma rujukan yang lebih jelas”.

Memang cukup baik saranan ini. Tetapi golongan muda itu mungkin terlupa untuk menyatakan secara terbuka dan eksplisit apakah “terma-terma rujukan yang lebih jelas”.

Adakah ia mahu gabungan baru menyatakan secara eksplisit untuk melaksanakan hudud atau menyatakan secara eksplisit hudud tidak sesuai dilaksanakan di Malaysia?

Atau ia perlu menyebut secara jelas bahawa gabungan baru menolak cadangan penubuhan “Negara Islam” (yang mana isu ini telah memecahbelahkan Barisan Alternatif selepas PRU 1999)? Atau menolak “negara sekular”, jika ada?

Atau adakah ia perlu secara eksplisit mempersoalkan apa-apa peruntukan dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan?

Prinsip kerjasama lebih tegas

Seperti yang diperkatakan, saranan anak muda tentang teras penting, termasuk “cita-cita rakyat sebagai asas kerjasama” tidak dinyatakan secara jelas atau eksplisit.

Maksudnya ada kalangan rakyat yang bercita-cita mahu menubuhkan kerajaan berteraskan agama, mahu melaksanakan hukum hudud, mahu kaum majoriti memegang tampuk pemerintahan negara dan negeri, serta pelbagai “cita-cita” lain.

Ada baiknya jika anak muda dapat merumuskan cadangan-cadangan untuk “cita-cita” jika ada pertemuan dengan parti-parti pembangkang nasional tidak lama lagi.

Anak muda dicadangkan supaya lebih eksplisit berbanding politisi yang terpaksa menjaga hati banyak pihak. Ini termasuk cadangan anak muda bahawa “setiap parti perlu bersedia untuk meletakkan kepentingan parti sebagai perkara kedua sekiranya bertembung diantara kepentingan parti dan kepentingan gabungan”.

Sekali lagi, ia perlu dijelaskan sama ada ini bermakna, parti yang mahu kepada hukum hudud mesti membelakangkan kepentingannya, atau sama ada parti yang mahu kepada ketuanan kaum perlu meletakkan agenda kaumnya di belakang dasar bersama gabungan, atau sama ada parti sosialis perlu mengetepikan ideologinya.

Gabungan inklusif

Dalam tuntutan anak muda, ada dicatatkan “Tatanan pemikiran lama yang mengatakan pemimpin tahu segalanya sudah terlalu tua untuk diamalkan dalam politik kontemporari” adalah tepat sekali.

Sebenarnya ada kalangan anak muda yang sudah berjangkit dengan pemikiran lama. Dalam beberapa parti dan NGO, terbukti pemikiran pimpinan dan anggota muda mereka lebih jumud berbanding golongan dewasa yang prihatin dengan perkembangan semasa.

Ada juga masalah lain seperti ada kumpulan yang menganggap diri mereka sangat progresif sehingga enggan bekerjasama dengan gabungan yang mereka tuduh sebagai kapitalistik. Begitu juga kumpulan agama yang enggan bersama dengan gabungan yang mereka dakwa sebagai sekular, liberal, plural, longgar, progresif dan entah apa-apa lagi.

Jadi ia kembali kepada tuntutan awal tentang “cita-cita”. Sememangnya sudah ada asasnya dalam Dasar Bersama Pakatan Rakyat, walaupun ia tidak sempurna.

Bukan kerana ia tidak boleh disempurnakan tetapi kerana politik Malaysia yang terlalu sensitif dengan isu-isu pinggiran yang menyebabkan ia terpaksa dihasilkan melalui kompromi.

Ya, dalam politik, kompromi bukanlah satu kata kotor. Ia adalah keperluan. Tetapi kompromi bukan bererti menghalalkan salah guna kuasa, korupsi atau rasuah. Itu sudah melanggar prinsip kemanusiaan.

Dialog

Tuntutan anak muda masih agak kabur, mungkin mereka juga mahu menjaga hati banyak pihak – itu namanya kompromi dan diplomasi.

Semoga apabila bertemu dengan pihak-pihak yang mereka mahu berjumpa nanti, kumpulan anak muda boleh menyuarakan cadangan-cadangan yang jelas dan eksplisit.

Sama ada di kalangan 146 anak muda itu bersatu hati dengan cita-cita mereka, itu soal kedua. Seperti manusia biasa, mungkin mereka juga bertelagah antara satu sama lain. Polemik, walaupun kadangkala memualkan, adalah keperluan dalam arena politik.

DAP patut pada dasarnya bersetuju dengan saranan anak muda bahawa “adalah menjadi keperluan mendesak untuk gabungan baru ini ditubuhkan segera”.

Walau apa pun tema wacana dan dialog, semoga DAP tidak dijadikan sasaran kebencian atau ketakutan semata-mata kerana ia tdiak berjuang atas nama kaum atau agama; ia hanya mahu kepada demokrasi yang mengamalkan keadilan sosial, hak dan peluang saksama, kebebasan individu dan kumpulan, serta kesetaraan gender dan kaum.

Dan memang patut DAP, khususnya melalui Sosialis Muda DAP (DAPSY), bertemu dengan golongan muda ini bagi mendengar suara mereka serta memperbetulkan salah faham tentang DAP yang dikatakan “egosentrik” seperti parti-parti lain, di samping benar-benar jelas tentang mengapa Pakatan Rakyat berkubur – akibat pelanggaran Dasar Bersama.

Pencerahan dua hala amat diperlukan untuk memastikan prejudis dapat dipecahkan bagi mengelakkan wabak benci, dan jika perkauman dan keagamaan yang sempit terus berleluasa, ia akan menghancurkan cita-cita anak muda yang mahu kepada kerajaan alternatif demi rakyat. – Roketkini.com

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Malaysia Probe Says It Has Found Documents Tied to Alleged Transfers to Premier

Wall Street Journal

July 4, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia’s attorney general said an official investigation into a troubled state investment fund has uncovered documents related to allegations that money was transferred into the personal bank accounts of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

A task force comprising the central bank, the national police and the nation’s anticorruption agency uncovered the documents during a probe of 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB, Abdul Gani Patail, the attorney general, said Saturday.

Mr. Abdul Gani said that on Friday the task force had raided the offices of three Malaysian companies linked to 1MDB that allegedly were involved in the transfer of funds to Mr. Najib’s accounts.

“I confirm that I have received documents from the special task force related to 1MDB, including documents related to the allegations of channeling of funds to accounts owned by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak,” Mr. Abdul Gani said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Malaysian government investigators looking into 1MDB’s activities had traced almost $700 million in deposits into what they believe are Mr. Najib’s personal accounts. The investigation documents, reviewed by the Journal, didn’t provide the original source of the money or what happened to the cash after it allegedly entered Mr. Najib’s accounts.

Mr. Najib on Friday said the allegations were an attempt by his political adversaries to smear his name. His office declined to comment on specific allegations referring to the alleged money transfers.

The government investigation, reported first by the Journal, marks the first time Mr. Najib has been directly connected to probes into 1MDB, which owes over $11 billion to banks and bondholders. A person familiar with the government investigation said the documents had been given to the attorney general several weeks ago.

In response to the Journal report, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Saturday that authorities must investigate the allegations made against Mr. Najib, in a statement given to local media.

“These allegations are serious because they can affect the credibility and integrity of Najib as PM and the leader of the government,” said Mr. Muhyiddin, who is from Mr. Najib’s ruling party.

The raids of the three companies netted documents which will be examined as the investigations continue, Mr. Abdul Gani said.

The Journal reported how government investigators had traced the movement of a total $11.1 million from a unit of the country’s finance ministry through a subsidiary of the unit to a third company, which carries out corporate social responsibility work, exclusively for 1MDB. According to the government investigators, the money then went into Mr. Najib’s accounts.

SRC International is the unit of the Finance Ministry, which also is headed by Mr. Najib. The company originally was part of 1MDB but was transferred to the Finance Ministry in 2012.

1MDB has denied any involvement in transferring money to Mr. Najib’s accounts. The corporate social responsibility company, Ihsan Perdana, said to local media Friday that the firm didn’t send any money to the prime minister’s accounts. Attempts to reach the three companies weren’t successful.

By far, the largest alleged transfers into Mr. Najib’s accounts were two deposits of $620 million and $61 million in March 2013, during a heated election campaign in Malaysia, the government investigation documents show. The cash came from a company registered in the British Virgin Islands via a Swiss bank owned by an Abu Dhabi state fund according to documents obtained by investigators.

The fund, International Petroleum Investment Co., or IPIC, has guaranteed billions of dollars of 1MDB’s bonds and in May injected $1 billion in capital into the fund to help meet looming debt repayments. A spokeswoman for IPIC couldn’t be reached for comment. The British Virgin Islands company, Tanore Finance Corp., couldn’t be reached.

Mr. Najib set up 1MDB in 2009 to develop new industries. But the fund’s overseas energy ventures have failed to take off and it has been forced to reschedule debt repayments. Critics, including opposition politicians and some members of the ruling party, are worried about its heavy borrowings and lack of transparency.

The Journal last month reported how 1MDB indirectly had supported Mr. Najib’s election campaign in 2013. The fund appeared to pay an inflated price for a power asset from a Malaysian company, according to financial statements. That firm then contributed millions of dollars to a Najib-led charity that spent on schools and other projects that Mr. Najib was able to tout as he campaigned.

“We only acquire assets when we are convinced that they represent long-term value, and to suggest that any of our acquisitions were driven by political considerations is simply false,” 1MDB said last month.

A number of agencies are probing 1MDB. They include the national police, the auditor general, a parliamentary committee and the central bank. The attorney general didn’t say whether his office would launch its own investigation. The auditor general last week completed its probe into 1MDB’s finances, and plans to hand its report to Parliament on Thursday.

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 5 July 2015, 12:39 am and is filed under
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Progresive MPs to meet in Parliament on Tuesday on “Quo Vadis Malaysia with a Prime Minister accused of embezzlement not only by Wall Street Journal but by government probe”

For the past two days, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report yesterday that Malaysian investigators have found almost US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) of 1MDB’s funds have been deposited into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal bank accounts have shaken the Malaysian body politics to its very core.

Overnight, Malaysian politics underwent a sea-change and Malaysian politics will never be the same again, before and after the WSJ Report
“Investigators Believe Money Flowed to Malaysian Leaders’ Accounts Amid 1MDB Probe”
 on Friday.

Everyone is back to the drawing board, to compute anew what are the political possibilities of the country.

Three events of such a sea-change in Malaysian politics  in the last 24 hours are:

*Firstly,  WSJ statement  this morning standing by its investigative article accusing the prime minister of embezzlement, saying it was based on government investigations, the report of which was seen by Najib  himself and shared with the Attorney-General and others in the Malaysian government.

*Secondly, the call by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin this evening for  the allegation against Najib to be investigated by the quartet of  investigating authorities – the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the  Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) as the allegation is “very serious and can affect Najib’s credibility as the Prime Minister and leader of the Malaysian government”.

*Thirdly, the statement by the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail  confirming that he has viewed documents collected by a government special task force related to the alleged transfer of 1MDB funds into Najib’s bank accounts.

The Attorney-General’s statement is in fact a confirmation of the WSJ report that Malaysian government investigators have found documents showing that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) had been deposited into the Prime Minister’s personal accounts.

I had earlier today in Gelang Patah asked why Najib can’t just say “yes” or “no” to the grave WSJ allegation that almost US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) were deposited into his personal accounts before the 13th General Election – whether such personal accounts existed and whether some RM2.6 billion had been deposited into them before the 13th general election.

All Najib had said so far was  that “I have never taken funds for personal gain as alleged by my political opponents – whether from 1MDB, SRC International or other entities, as these companies have confirmed”, which completely avoids the question whether  some US$700 million had been deposited into his personal bank accounts.

In one fell swoop, the Attorney-General’s confirmation of documents from a government probe on some RM2.6 billion deposited into Najib’s personal accounts have changed the character of the allegation against Najib – for it is now no more just WSJ allegation of embezzlement against the Prime Minister, but also a similar allegation by a government special task force comprising BNM, MACC, RMAF and AGC.

In fact, with the Attorney-General’s confirmation, the WSJ allegation against Najib has assumed an even more serious character and import, sparking a political and government crisis of the first magnitude never seen in Malaysia’s 58-year history.

Can Najib, Muhyiddin, Gani Patail, the Inspector-General of Police, the Bank Negara Governor, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Commissioner, all the Cabinet Ministers and the entire body politic in Malaysia continue to pretend that nothing seriously amiss has taken place in the past 48 hours?

Malaysia is in uncharted waters, with a Prime Minister charged with Prime Ministerial misconduct like the crime of embezzlement not only by WSJ but by a government probe.

Where does Malaysia, and in particular the Malaysian government, go from here?

I have discussed with Parliamentary Opposition Leader and Chairman of PKR, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and she has agreed with the convening of a meeting of progressive MPs in Parliament on Tuesday  at 12 noon to consider the impact, implications and Malaysia’s future as a result of the WSJ allegation and the Attorney-General’s confirmation on the existence of document from a government special task force probe on the serious charge of embezzlement against the Prime Minister.

The convening of a meeting of progressive MPs to meet in Parliament on Tuesday on
“Quo Vadis Malaysia with a Prime Minister accused of embezzlement not  only by Wall Street Journal but by a government probe”
is most relevant and urgent. I urge and welcome all progressive MPs to meet in Parliament on Tuesday noon.

A leading progressive Malaysian political leader, Mat Sabu, is  with here at the dinner tonight and I have asked him to attend as a guest of the meeting of Progressive MPs in Parliament on Tuesday, and he has agreed to come.

I do not believe that there is no one  in the UMNO/BN coalition, whether among their MPs or political leaderships, who is not disgusted with the corruption, abuses of power and malpractices which have become even more rampant than previous times, and if there are such progressive MPs in the UMNO/BN coalition, they are also welcome to Parliament on Tuesday to collectively ponder the question:
“Quo Vadis Malaysia with a Prime Minister accused of embezzlement not only by Wall Street Journal but also by a government probe”
.

(Speech at the DAP Kluang Anniversary  dinner held at Restoran Super One, Kluang  on Saturday, July 4, 2015 at 10 pm)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 5 July 2015, 8:12 am and is filed under
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Can Najib Razak Survive 1MDB Scandal?

Chris Wright
 | Contributor

7/05/2015 @ 5:28PM

Forbes

Najib Razak, Malaysia’s Prime Minister since 2009, is facing the greatest challenge of his leadership – and even the risk of criminal charges.

As we reported last week, Najib has been embroiled in the scandal surrounding the state investment fund 1MDB. The fund was already an embarrassment to him – not only has it run up $US11.6 billion in debts  and attracted inquiries by four different institutions, from the auditor-general to the police, but Najib himself chairs the fund’s advisory board. But on top of that, last week he was alleged by the Wall Street Journal to have received almost $700 million of transfers from the fund into his personal bank accounts, much of it during an election campaign.

If it is proven that the funds did indeed go into an account bearing his name, it is difficult to see how Najib can survive. But even if it isn’t proven, the allegations have come at a very difficult time for Malaysia’s leader. The UMNO party, which he represents, is in a period of internal turmoil as it recognises that it no longer has an automatic right to expect to win every election, and wonders whether Najib is the right person to lead it in this newly competitive political environment. Malaysia’s economy is struggling, particularly in an era of falling commodity prices; the country is one of the few in Asia to be a net exporter of commodities.

And Malaysia’s elder statesman, Mahathir Mohamad, who led the country for 22 years and was something of a mentor to Najib, has turned against him. He has called for Najib to step down over the fund’s behaviour, and even beforehand was angry with Najib’s leadership. Later this week I will print an interview I conducted with Tun Dr Mahathir earlier this year which talks at length about his thoughts on Najib – which have not been positive for some time.

Worse, on Saturday the attorney general of Malaysia, Abdul Gani Patail, confirmed that he had received documents linking Najib to the investment fund, and is reported to feel there is the potential for them to lead to criminal charges if they turn out to be accurate. Najib himself has referred to the allegations as political sabotage, and has blamed Mahathir for orchestrating them.

Malaysia is a place where reputation matters enormously and where bad press sticks. Even if the attorney general does not feel the evidence is strong enough to prosecute, there is a very strong sense that Najib has been weakened regardless.

Chris Wright is the author of No More Worlds to Conquer, published by HarperCollins.

I write about banking and finance in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 July 2015, 11:45 am and is filed under
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Citizen Nades – We don’t assume anything

R. Nadeswaran

Sun

5 July 2015

ON the outset, a qualification has to be made. I have worked with the owner of The Edge, Tong Kooi Ong, when he was briefly the executive vice-chairman of the Sun Media Group. Ho Kay Tat, the publisher of The Edge, and I honed our skills as journalists in Balai Berita in the eighties.

Both these men were involved in the transition of this publication from a subscription-based one to a free newspaper in 2004. Both men had news sense and the business acumen to go with it. They were professional and took a hands-on approach but never micro-managed. They gave journalists the freedom to write with one caveat – get your facts before even attempting to write the story.

Over the years, the many big stories that theSun broke including the PKFZ fiasco, Zakaria’s Palace and Paya Indah Wetlands went through several layers of scrutiny before they were published.

But today’s column is not on them or personalities. It is on an issue close to the hearts of all who identify themselves as media people – reporters, journalists, columnists, editors and above all – owners and publishers.

To one who has been following the 1MDB saga over the past few months and occasionally commenting on it in passing, so many facts and figures have emerged.

Many news reports have emanated from documents obtained from various sources. As I have always maintained, the newspaper presents these and perhaps, asks questions and allows the readers to make an educated judgment and separate the wheat from the chaff.

No journalist or publication worth their salt will want to deliberately present false figures or information. Many have learnt the hard way that publishing half-truths and hearsay has its pitfalls – financially and reputation-wise.

The numerous lawsuits against newspapers including theSun is evidence of a thriving, robust and vibrant publishing arena which reveals that anything published is scrutinised, word by word, for anything that injures the reputation of individuals or corporate bodies.

Last week, the brouhaha over 1MDB took a different turn with the arrest of Xavier Justo, the former director of PetroSaudi International , who is alleged to have tampered and doctored documents in the company’s deals.

It would have been a routine arrest in Thailand and even before the facts have been revealed in an open court, the word “alleged” has lost its meaning and replaced with the phrase “assumption of guilt”.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was quoted in this newspaper last week that the Thai Police will not make any speculation on the case as it will jeopardise the credibility of the investigations.

Then came his telling words. “It is very simple, the person arrested was Justo and the document seems to be from him, we cannot assume anything else other than (that) he had tampered with the documents.”

I have to dispute him. Journalists are trained to observe the golden rule that “you don’t assume anything”.

For example, if a minister leads a lifestyle that is not commensurate with his normal income, can it be assumed that he is on the take?

By training, journalists are made to undertake investigations into the source of the minister’s wealth and then confront him with the ultimate question: “Sir, you live in a mansion, have eight cars and your children are studying in the UK and they own properties in posh areas in London. Can you please explain for the benefit of the public who may have misconceptions about you?”

That’s the way it is done and ought to be done – not assume guilt by association.

This highly dangerous and open-ended statement by Wan Junaidi will be no defence when the offended parties cite the writer and the publication for defamation.

That is why the show-cause letter sent to The Edge by his ministry makes little sense. Without citing specific instances where there has been “false reporting”, his boss, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi now says that the publication “should know which articles they published were inaccurate.”

This is like arresting someone and accusing him of corruption.

“Tuan, from whom did I take a bribe? Can you be specific – date, time and the quantum?”

“You should know what you took and how much you took. So own up and be punished.”

(Imagine applying this principle to some of our politicians and civil servants.)

No editor will publish anything if he knows it is false because the consequences are dire indeed. Having been in such a role, facts are checked, verified, authenticated and validated before they go to print. In some cases, lawyers are consulted.

In between, as part of the regime, the journalist is trained to present two sides of the story. He or she is required to contact all parties to respond to the facts. Some are done via phone, others by email and in many instances, there is a personal interview.

But this whole thing is about “knowing”. It’s akin to pulling me up for “false reporting” and telling me that I should know which one is false.

Over the past years, I have written and theSun has published more than 1,000 commentaries and news reports. From the bottom of my heart, I can say that there have been no instances of fabrication of news or making false statements.

That’s why many of us consider and craft our words in our minds before even putting them on paper. There’s no such thing as “publish and be damned”.

We, journalists cannot be made to prove our innocence or know which report was false. We write based on evidence and documents which we check and counter-check.

The Sword of Damocles hangs over our heads every day. The writer knows he has nothing else but to rely on facts he has gathered; the editor asks questions as to the accuracy and truthfulness; and the publisher trusts that all these had been done before the newspaper hits the stands or reaches your doorstep.

This is not a matter of a show-cause letter to one publication. It is the principle. The media expects no favours. It merely wants to do its job and have unfettered access to information which it wants to share with the masses. Nothing more, nothing less.

R. Nadeswaran is editor (special and investigative reporting) at theSun. Comments:
[email protected]

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 July 2015, 8:44 am and is filed under
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Has Gani Patail joined Mahathir’s camp in the “political sabotage” of Najib when the AG confirmed that government probe on 1MDB had found documentary evidence  on the RM2.6 billion deposit into Najib’s private account?

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak blamed his predecessor and one-time patron, Tun Dr. Mahathir of being the “mastermind” for the latest allegation of him siphoning money from 1MDB.

Najib said he believe that Mahathir, “working hand in glove with foreign nationals, including the now discredited political attack blog Sarawak Report, is behind the latest lie”.

The Prime Minister made this accusation in reference to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report on Friday which alleged that US$700 million (RM2.6 million) of 1MDB’s fund was deposited into the Prime Minister’s private account.

Najib declared that he had never taken the government’s money for personal gain.

He said the latest allegation is part of a series of “unsubstantiated and many simply outrageous” claims made against him and his family when he refused to implement Mahathir’s personal demands.

Najib said: “I refused, because I do not believe it is right for Malaysia to be ruled by proxy.”

Nobody knows what Najib is actually referring to with regard to Mahathir’s personal agenda, as it is for him to spell out Mahathir’s “personal demands” for the public to judge whether to believe the Prime Minister or the former Prime Minister.

However, I am not the only one in Malaysia who, in the last five years, had been  bamboozled and bewildered by one of the longest and elaborate “smoke and mirrors” displays in the nation’s history – the RM42 billion MDB financial scandal.

But on the WSJ allegation, which the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had described as “very serious” which could affect Najib’s credibility and integrity as prime minister and head of government., it is the Najib’s supporters, whether in Cabinet or the UMNO/BN government, who appears to be the  most confused and bewildered.

Several ministers including the Home Minister Datuk Zahid Hamidi and the Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had urged Najib to sue WSJ.

Even the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein urged everyone “not to speculate”, calling for calm while the 1MDB investigation proceeds.

He said: “I hope all parties remain calm and not make any preemptive conclusions about the allegations …against Najib related to the 1MDB issue.

“Don’t rush to punish the PM because the allegations are merely based on a media report (whose facts) have not been verified for authenticity.

“Don’t speculate, because that will only worsen the situation.”

I am thoroughly shocked that even Ministers have not realised that the most damaging development about the  embezzlement allegation of RM2.6 billion deposited into Najib’s personal banking account is not the initial disclosure by WSJ report on Friday, but the confirmation by none other than the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail  yesterday that the government special task force investigating 1MDB had found documents of the RM2.6 billion deposited into Najib’s personal account.

This becomes crystal clear when the Attorney-General confirmed yesterday that he had viewed documents collected by the special task force probing 1MDB related to the alleged transfer of 1MDB funds into  Najib’s account.

Gani Patail said:

“The task force has obtained a number of documents and had subsequently sent them to me for review.

“I confirm that I have received documents from the task force related to 1MDB, including documents related to the allegations of channelling funds to the prime minister’s accounts.”

Clearly, the WSJ was only reporting what the government special task force on 1MDB had discovered to date.

If anyone, whether Prime Minister or his supporters in the Cabinet or government wants to criticise and quibble with the embezzlement allegation, the target is no more WSJ but the government special task force quartet comprising Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), Royal Malaysian Police  (RMP) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).

When Najib and his supporters challenge the credibility and veracity of the WSJ report, they are in fact questioning the credibility and veracity of the investigation into 1MDB by the government special task force.

As the Attorney-General has verified and validated the WSJ report and allegation, had Gani Patail joined  Mahathir’s camp  in the “political sabotage” of  Najib when the AG confirmed that government probe on 1MDB had found documentary evidence on the RM2.6 billion deposit into Najib’s private account?

Yesterday I had asked Gani whether as Attorney General , he can can charge and prosecute the Prime Minister for criminal offences in the country.

In law, the Attorney-General has such powers as made very clear by Article 145(3) of the Malaysian Constitution which stipulates that the Attorney General “shall have the power, exercisable at his discretion, to institute, conduct or discontinue, any proceedings for an offence”.

While it is very clear in law that the Attorney General can charge and prosecute the Prime Minister for any offence in the country,  the reality is a very different matter. Would Gani dare to say that this is indeed the law of the land?

However, before we can come to such a test of constitutional law on the powers of the Attorney-General, an antecedent question may have to be disposed off  first – the power of the Prime Minister to dismiss the Attorney-General and to appoint a new and more pliable AG.

Which scenario will take place  first in Malaysia?

(5th July 2015)

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Meeting of progressive MPs in Parliament at noon tomorrow provides ideal platform for Najib to clear himself of WSJ allegation of embezzlement – and the Prime Minister is most welcome

The meeting of progressive Members of Parliament in Parliament at noon tomorrow provides an ideal platform for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to clear himself of the Wall Street Journal allegation of embezzlement – and Najib is most welcome to make use of the platform.

Progressive MPs are meeting in Parliament tomorrow on the theme “Quo Vadis Malaysia with a Prime Minister accused of embezzlement” because responsible and patriotic MPs are most disturbed and shocked  by the Wall Street Journal report last Friday that Malaysian investigators have found almost US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) of 1MDB’s funds have been deposited into Najib’s personal bank accounts.

The Wall Street Journal allegation has shaken Malaysian body politics to its very core for two reasons:

•	No categorical denial by the Prime Minister of the existence of such personal bank accounts  or the deposit of some US$700 million (RM2.6 million) funds into the personal bank accounts in the past three days in an  information era which operates on 24/7 basis;

•	Confirmation by the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail that he has viewed documents collected by a government special task force quartet comprising Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) relating to the alleged transfer of 1MDB funds into Najib’s bank accounts.

The Attorney-General’s statement is in fact a confirmation of the WSJ report that Malaysian government investigators have found documents showing that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) had been deposited into the Prime Minister’s personal accounts.

Overnight, Malaysian politics underwent a sea-change and Malaysian politics will never be the same again, before and after the WSJ Report“Investigators Believe Money Flowed to Malaysian Leaders’ Accounts Amid 1MDB Probe” on Friday.

Malaysians are perplexed, confused and most uneasy that up to now, Najib cannot give a simple and categorical answer to just say “yes” or “no” to the grave WSJ allegation that almost US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) were deposited into his personal accounts before the 13th General Election and whether such personal accounts existed.

Progressive MPs, who believe that the topmost priority of the country must be “good governance” as the country is  mired in unprecedented corruption, abuses of power and socio-economic injustices, want to keep an open mind on the WSJ allegation, but every day that passes without a categorical answer by Najib whether US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) had been deposited into his personal accounts is an additional day of adverse inference for Najib, inimical to public perception that he is true and loyal to the National Transformation Programme of clean, honest, accountable and transparent governance.

Najib should heed the advice of his  younger brother and CIMB Chairman, Datuk Seri  Nazir Razak who, in a posting on Instagram with a photograph of the National Monument,  penned  that  in “this darkest of political times, we must remember to place the country and the rakyat first” – “Not personal interests, nor personal loyalties, not even party politics.”

Malaysia is facing the greatest Prime Ministerial crisis in the nation’s history, as never before had such a serious allegation of Prime Ministerial criminal misconduct had been leveled against the Prime Minister – and by a reputable international publication based on a government probe into the 1MDB!

Why is there no emergency Cabinet meeting, special meeting of Parliament, emergency meeting of UMNO Supreme Council and the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council?

Why is everybody pretending, whether Najib, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the 35-strong Cabinet, Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, Attorney General, Bank Negara Governor, Inspector-General of Police, the MACC Chief Commissioner, all the Barisan Nasional party chiefs all pretending to be “business as usual” as if nothing amiss had happened in Malaysia while the whole world is agog with Malaysia’s political crisis?

Where does Malaysia, and in particular the Malaysian government, go from here? How are Malaysians going to hold their heads high in the international arena?

This is the agenda for the meeting of progressive MPs in Parliament tomorrow.

Progressive MPs keep an open mind on the WSJ allegation which is now backed up by the government special task force probe as confirmed by the Attorney-General.

Is Najib prepared to come to the meeting of progressive MPs tomorrow in Parliament to clear himself once and for all of the WSJ allegations?

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 July 2015, 9:47 am and is filed under
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Ten consequences of Greek referendum’s ‘No’

— Mohamed A. El-Erian

Bloomberg

July 6, 2015

JULY 6 — By heeding their government’s advice and voting “No” in the referendum on Sunday, Greek citizens sent an unambiguous message. Much like the fictional Americans portrayed in the movie “Network” who threw open their windows and shouted out, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore,” the Greeks are demanding that the rest of Europe acknowledge their distress.

At this stage, however, only a handful of European leaders seem willing to listen; and even fewer appear willing to deliver the sort of relief that Greece desperately needs. The implications will be felt primarily in Greece, but also in Europe and beyond.

Here are 10 consequences of the vote that could unfold in the next few days:

1.            The victory of the “No” camp—with more than 60 per cent of the vote, according to preliminary returns—will initially lead to a general selloff in global equities, along with price pressures on the bonds issued by Greece, other peripheral euro zone economies and emerging markets. German and US government bonds will benefit from a flight to quality.

2.            Having been caught off guard, European politicians will urgently seek to regain the initiative: Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Francois Hollande of France will meet in Paris on Monday to work on a response. In a perfect world, these leaders would move quickly and effectively with the Greek government to get past the conflict and acrimony that preceded the referendum. This is likely to be difficult, given the mistrust, bad blood and damaging accusations that have poisoned the relationship.

3.            Even with those challenges, Greek and European politicians don’t have much time to get their act together. The horrid conditions in Greece will get a lot worse before they improve. Without huge emergency assistance from the European Central Bank—a decision that faces long odds—the government will find it hard to get money to the country’s automated teller machines, let alone re-open the banks.

4. As hoarding increases, shortages of goods, including fuel and food, will intensify. Capital and payments controls will be tightened. The economy will take another worrisome step down, worsening unemployment and poverty. And the government will struggle to pay pensioners and the salaries of civil servants.

5.            As a result, the government will be under mounting pressure to issue some type of IOUs to maintain a sense of a functioning economy. If it does, the IOUs will take on the role of a parallel currency, quoted domestically at a discount to the single currency.

6.            Outside Greece, a lot of thought will be given to limiting adverse spillovers. The ECB will most likely have to roll out new measures to contain regional contagion, including expanding the current programme of large-scale purchases of securities. This will weaken the euro’s exchange rate. In addition, together with the International Monetary Fund—to which Greece is already in arrears—officials will be preparing for serial Greek defaults.

7.            All parties involved will find themselves slipping into their Plan B mode. This transition will probably be much more traumatic for Greece than for the rest of Europe.

8.            With the ultimate goal of countering as quickly as possible the likelihood of further human suffering, pain and uncertainty, Europe has the instruments and institutions to limit contagion and maintain the integrity of the euro zone. But this will require ECB action to be coupled with measures by the European Stability Mechanism and the European Investment Bank aimed at completing a banking union and making progress on fiscal integration.

9.            It is quite doubtful, however, that Greece will be able to restore its status as a full member of the euro zone. Indeed, without very skillful crisis management, it is at high risk of becoming a failed state. Rather than just stand by, Europe needs to ensure that Greece’s exit from the 19-member euro zone doesn’t also result in its dissociation from the larger European Union. This could involve special membership in an association agreement, for example,

10.          Finally, expect an explosion of blame. This unproductive activity may end up delaying Europe’s urgent need to internalize the lessons from this sad outcome: A series of broken reform promises by several Greek governments was made worse by political stubbornness, poor analysis and inconsistent follow-through by Europe, which is contributing to the loss of Greece as a functioning member of the family. — Bloomberg

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With demand for Najib  to go on leave as Prime Minister pending investigations becoming increasingly more urgent and insistent, it is Najib’s loss if he does not  use the ideal platform of the meeting of progressive MPs in Parliament tomorrow to categorically clear himself WSJ allegation of embezzlement

The demand for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to go on leave as Prime Minister, and even to be prosecuted for criminal offences under the law have grown more  urgent and insistent.

Divisions and relations in UMNO ranks are  also becoming increasingly brittle, confrontational and even hostile.

Yesterday, another UMNO Minister who is also UMNO Vice President had broken ranks with Najib, joining the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy UMNO President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in expressing concern and calling for investigations into the Wall Street Journal allegations that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) were routed to the prime minister’s personal bank accounts.

Datuk Shafie Apdal, the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, agreed that the WSJ allegations must be given “serious attention” as it involved Najib’s “image and credibility as prime minister”.

He even joined the Home Minister, another UMNO Vice President, in urging Najib to take legal action if the accusation and claim is untrue to clear the government of negative perception not only among the rakyat but also the  international community.

Yesterday, even former Malacca Chief Minister, Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik called on Najib to temporarily vacate the Prime Minister’s post while the authorities investigate the WSJ allegations –  until he is cleared in the investigations.

But the most serious development is the call by Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIA) students in rallying behind Muhyiddin, urging him to take temporary control of the government.

The UIA students want  Muhyiddin to pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak to go on leave pending an investigation into allegations that almost US$700 million was deposited into Najib’s personal bank accounts – with Muhyiddin as  the  acting Prime Minister in the meantime.

The UIA students also want a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of misappropriation of funds involving the government.

They warned that if their demands were not met, and the government failed to clear its name on the corruption allegations, the UIA students would organise a mass protest, together with other students, nationwide.

With the demand for Najib  to go on leave as Prime Minister pending investigations becoming increasingly more urgent and insistent, it is Najib’s loss if he does not use the ideal platform of the meeting of progressive MPs in Parliament tomorrow to categorically clear himself of the  WSJ allegation of embezzlement based on government special task force probe on 1MDB.

Najib should in the next few hours  give very serious thought to his attending the meeting of progressive MPs in Bilik Taklimat in Parliament at noon tomorrow to clear himself of all allegations of wrongdoing and breach of trust in the 1MDB scandal.

                This entry was posted on Monday, 6 July 2015, 5:57 pm and is filed under
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Call on IGP to re-open investigations into the murder of AmBank founder Hussein Najadi in broad daylight in centre of Kuala Lumpur on 29th July 2013 to ascertain whether it had any links with 1MDB scandal

The situation faced by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his government today is best described by the Chinese expression “草木皆兵” – which literally means “every bush and tree looks like an enemy soldier” where the Najib Government is so nervous, suspicious, insecure and panicky about its position that it is virtually “jumping at shadows”.

This is the reason for the Najib government’s foolish and myopic decision to sabotage and frustrate the holding of a meeting of progressive MPs and NGO representatives on the grave Wall Street Journal (WSJ)  allegation against Najib for Prime Ministerial misconduct and the criminal offence of embezzlement, by refusing MPs the use of Bilik Taklimat and reneging on the Parliamentary administration’s earlier agreement for the use of the meeting room for the occasion.

As a result, progressive MPs and NGO representatives have to hold their meeting at the Parliament square, sitting on the ground – unheard of for the Malaysian Parliament as well as commonwealth and global Parliaments.

Why is the Najib administration so jumpy and panicky about the meeting of  progressive MPs and NGO representatives  on the WSJ allegation and Najib’s future that MPs have been locked out of Parliament Bilik Taklimat and forced to meet in the open at the Parliament square? What has  the Najib government got  to hide and to be so  panicky about!

This is the fifth day of the grave WSJ allegation of Prime Ministerial misconduct in committing the criminal offence of embezzlement in its report last Friday that Malaysian investigators have found almost US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) of 1MDB’s funds deposited into Najib’s personal bank accounts, and Najib’s failure to categorically deny the WSJ allegation.

Malaysians are all asking why Najib finds it so coy or difficult to put to rest once and for all the WSJ allegation of Prime Ministerial misconduct and the grave offence of embezzlement, when all he needs to do is to categorically deny that he ever had personal accounts in his name in AmBank or that some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) had been deposited into his bank accounts in 2013.

Najib went round the whole world, declaring that he would never “betray the trust of the people” and that he had never “taken” public funds for personal gain, but he had scrupulously and studiously avoided the question for the fifth day whether he has or ever had personal accounts in AmBank which received deposits of some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) in 2013!

Najib is still considering whether to sue WSJ and had referred to his lawyers who will advise him on the next course of action in the next few days.

This is also most extraordinary. If Najib had been defamed by the WSJ report, he would immediately instruct his lawyers to institute legal proceedings instead of seeking legal advice.  What legal advice does Najib want, unless there is room for dispute whether the WSJ report had actually defamed him or not!

Many proposals had been made to get to the bottom of the WSJ report and allegation, including calls for Royal Commission of Inquiry.

I am agreeable with the proposal for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the WSJ allegation, and it would be a great idea if such a RCI is chaired by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir – for it would be one great demonstration by Najib that he has nothing to hide in the long drawn-out 1MDB scandal and that he has done no wrong.

We should give the RCI under Mahathir three months  to complete its report and during this three-month period, Najib should go on leave as Prime Minister.

I am mystified by Ministerial calls for action to be taken against WSJ on the ground that it had made a most heinous and baseless allegation against the Prime Minister, when it is very clear that the WSJ report had been based on the government probe by the quartet of investigating authorities, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) on the 1MDB.

No less a person than the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail had publicly admitted that the government probe had produced documents about the deposit of US$700 million into the Prime Minister’s personal banking accounts, as reported by WSJ.

As a result, any questioning of the WSJ report would be a questioning of the government’s own probe into the 1MDB by the special task force comprising BNM, MACC, RMP and AGC. How could this be?

If the WSJ allegation is based on the government’s probe by the four investigative agencies, then the next step is for the Attorney-General to charge and prosecute the Prime Minister for committing an offence in Malaysia.

But can the AG charge the PM in Malaysia or the PM will sack the AG first?

Despite incessant and increasingly ferocious attacks by Ministers and Umno/BN political leaders, WSJ has insisted that its Friday report on Najib’s personal bank accounts were  based on  “solid” and “reliable” documents known to top government officials, including the Prime Minister himself and the Attorney-General.

A WSJ spokesman said it does not know “where the money went” as “Basically, the trail we have ends at the bank account that has the Prime Minister’s name on it.

In this connection, I call on the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar to re-open investigations into the murder of founder of AmBank, Hussein Ahmad Najadi who was shot dead in broad daylight in the centre of Kuala Lumpur in Lorong Ceylon in Bukit Bintang on July 29, 2013 to ascertain whether the murder had any links with the 1MDB scandal.

The Police should investigate whether it is true that in March 2013,  Hussein had reported to Bank Negara about significant amounts of money deposited into Najib’s personal accounts and subsequently about withdrawal of significant amounts of money from these bank accounts; and that Hussein lodged a police report on the above matters on 28th July 2013 when no actions were taken  by Bank Negara.

The 75-year-old Hussain was shot dead in a car park in Kuala Lumpur on 29th July 23, 2013.

Today, we see a gathering of MPs from different opposition parties, but this is not a Pakatan Rakyat meeting as Pakatan Rakyat has already died, but a meeting of progressive MPs, together with NGO representatives, to put our heads together to consider the road ahead for  the country in the wake of explosive corruption  allegations in WSJ and from the government’s own probe into 1MDB.

I had hoped that there would also be progressive UMNO MPs at this meeting, as I do not believe that there are no progressive  UMNO MPs who are not equally disgusted with the rampant corruption, abuses of power and injustices blighting the country.

The time has come for Malaysians to look into the future and conceive of a nation where the top priority agenda must be good governance in the country, where corruption and abuses of power are eradicated and all Malaysians  assured of good jobs, a prosperous economy, good schools, hospitals, infrastructure as well as safe and secure environment and a fair and just government.

(Speech at the meeting of progressive MPs and NGO representatives at Parliament Square on Wall Street Journal’s embezzlement allegation against Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday, 7th July 2015 at 12.30 pm)

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Malaysian Leader Faces Risk of Criminal Charges Over Fund

by The New York Times,

Associated Press

July 5, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s prime minister is facing the risk of criminal charges over allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were funneled from an indebted state fund to his personal bank accounts, the first time a Malaysian leader has faced criminal allegations.

The country’s attorney general confirmed late Saturday that he had received documents from an official investigation that made the link between Prime Minister Najib Razak and the investment fund 1MDB. The existence of the documents was first reported by The Wall Street Journal’s Asia edition on Friday, showing some $700 million were wired from entities linked to the fund into Najib’s accounts.

The documents sent to the attorney general pave the way for possible criminal charges.

It is one of the worst political crises for Najib, who has come under increasing criticism over his leadership.

Najib, who has denied taking any money for personal gains, said Sunday that he would consult with his lawyers to decide his next course of action on the “malicious accusations” against him.

“It’s damning and disastrous for Najib,” said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who heads the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs think-tank.

“This is really uncharted territory in Malaysian politics. For the first time ever, we are seeing a prime minister facing the possibility of a criminal charge,” he said.

1MDB, set up by Najib in 2009 to develop new industries, has accumulated 42 billion ringgit ($11.1 billion) in debt after its energy ventures abroad faltered. Critics, led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, have voiced concerns about 1MDB’s massive debt and alleged lack of transparency.

The Wall Street Journal report said five deposits were made into Najib’s accounts and that the two largest transactions, worth $620 million and $61 million, were done in March 2013 ahead of general elections.

Najib slammed the report as part of a “political sabotage” by Mahathir to remove him. Mahathir, who stepped down in 2003 after 22 years in power but has remained an influential political figure, has been leading calls for Najib to step down.

1MDB said it had never provided any funds to Najib.

Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, however, said a task force investigating 1MDB for alleged impropriety had given him papers “including documents related to allegations of fund transfer into the account of the prime minister.”

Abdul Gani said the task force raided offices of three companies linked to 1MDB that were allegedly involved in the fund transfer. He didn’t give further details on the documents or say what actions would be taken.

Najib’s deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, said the allegations must be investigated because they tarnish Najib’s credibility and integrity. Opposition lawmakers have said Najib should go on leave and also declare his assets.

Home Minister Zahid Hamidi said the allegations against Najib were “reckless” and “bordering on criminal offenses” because they were based on unverified documents. He warned that police would “not hesitate to use the full force of the law against those who attempt to harm Malaysia’s economy and our democratic process.”

“Even if nothing comes up from the investigation, the damage to Najib’s reputation has been done. The pressure for him to step down will increase,” said Wan Saiful, the head of the think-tank.

Najib, the son of a former prime minister, took over the premiership in 2009. He has fought criticism over his management of the economy, and being implicated in the murder of a Mongolian model nine years ago. Najib has said he had nothing to do with the model, and two security officers linked to Najib at the time were found guilty of her murder.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 July 2015, 8:03 am and is filed under
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Malaysia’s Najib Razak fights for political life amid 1MDB claims

by Michael Peel in Kuala Lumpur

Financial Times

July 6, 2015

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak faces a struggle for survival amid growing fallout from allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were channeled from a state development fund into his personal bank accounts.

Investigators of the escalating scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad have passed the country’s Attorney-General evidence relating to transfers totaling almost $700m shortly before the last elections.

Mr Najib has denied taking money for personal gain and has denounced the accusations as “a concerted campaign of political sabotage to topple a democratically elected Prime Minister”.

The Financial Times has not been able to independently verify the allegations. They have added to turmoil in Malaysian politics at a time when Mr Najib’s United Malays National Organisation faces a grave challenge to its near six-decade hegemony.

Analysts say the claims, reported on Friday by the Wall Street Journal and the Sarawak Report website, are potentially fatal for Mr Najib’s career. They appear to make the first direct link between the premier and the long-running scandal over how 1MDB racked up debts of more than $11bn.

Professor James Chin, Director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, said the fresh claims showed how Mr Najib “can’t seem to shake off the scandal” of the 1MDB affair.

“If indeed the money is in an account bearing his name and he is the owner of the account, he’s toast,” Prof Chin said. “We will get to the truth soon, because the amount is large, and most governments around the world have strict reporting systems for large financial transactions.”

The Attorney-General said at the weekend that he had received documents relating to the latest allegations about 1MDB, which was the subject of four separate official investigations. The fund had denied it had given money to Mr Razak and — like him — had claimed it was the victim of a plot.

The most serious of the latest claims against Mr Najib is that two transfers totaling US$681m were made via a series of companies linked to 1MDB to an account in his name just before the tight 2013 parliamentary elections.

The opposition won the popular vote in those polls, but the design of the electoral system meant the United Malays National Organisation ended up with most seats.

Mr Najib set up 1MDB in 2009 and chairs its advisory board, but the fund has come under increasing scrutiny over its investments and financial dealings, particularly with some prominent Gulf companies.

The pressure on the Prime Minister has grown further because Mahathir Mohamad, the influential former premier of more than 20 years, has called on his successor to step down over the fund’s activities. Two opposition parties have also called for Mr Najib to stand aside pending an investigation into the latest claims.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 July 2015, 8:29 am and is filed under
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Malaysia’s PM Extends Feud to Mahathir’s Son

Asia Sentinel

July 2, 2015

Sources say government is delaying funds and slowing proposals in state Mukhriz controls.

The scorched-earth war between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his one-time mentor, former Premier Mahathir Mohamad, has extended to the northern state of Kedah, where Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz, rules as chief minister.

The federal government in Putrajaya reportedly has cut budget allocations to the state, one of the country’s poorest, and is dragging its heels on a proposal by Mukhriz to build an airport in the city of Kulim which Mukhriz deems crucial to boosting the local economy. Reportedly other economic initiatives have been blocked through the federal government’s refusal to pay full land premium for land that  Mukhriz is attempting to convert to industrial uses.  He is also encountering sniping from Najib forces in the state over his performance as chief minister

It was his father, Mahathir, who paved the way for Najib to become prime minister, first grooming him as defense minister, and then, in 2009  playing an instrumental role in driving his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from power. Anointed by Mahathir, Najib became prime minister only to lead the Barisan in 2013 to the first loss of the popular vote since 1969, although it retained its majority in parliament through gerrymandering.

Last August, after two years of behind-the-scenes impatience, Mahathir first announced on his blog, Che Det, that he was “withdrawing support” from the prime minister. His attacks have grown steadily more vitriolic as the months have worn on. Najib has returned the fire with increasing intensity, seeking to tie Mahathir to what he claims was a rigged attempt to discredit his 1Malaysia Development Bhd. state investment fund by a Swiss businessman and Clare Rewcastle Brown, a UK-based journalist who blogs at Sarawak Report. Brown has fired back with a libel demand against a research firm that claimed documents she printed had been doctored.

One thing is all but certain. While punishing Mukhriz by punishing Kedah may play well in UMNO circles, it is not going to have any effect on Mahathir’s vendetta against Najib. In fact, say sources in Kuala Lumpur, at the end of the official Muslim fasting period on July 17, the 90-year-old Mahathir intends to increase the pressure on Najib to resign.

“He has never given up in his attempts to get rid of people he wants to destroy in the past, and he has every intention of doing it to Najib,” a Kuala Lumpur source told Asia Sentinel. “He never let up on [former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi], he even attacked Dollah’s dead wife.”

Mahathir’s ambition for Mukhriz, one of his seven  children, three of them adopted, is said to be for him to eventually claim the job of prime minister. But with Mahathir already after him over the April 2013 general election, Najib and his slate froze Mukhriz and other members of the Mahathir wing out of all leadership positions within UMNO in party elections later in the year.

Najib pushed Mukhriz as Kedah chief minister in the general election because of the popularity of the Mahathir name in the successful effort to wrest the state back from Parti Islam se-Malaysia, or PAS, the rural-based Islamic fundamentalist party.  It is a position the 50-year-old Mukhriz has turned to with relish. The airport is one of six major projects he outlined to industrialize the state, which produces half of Malaysia’s rice.

With a population that is nearly 80 percent Muslim, Kedah is of vital importance to UMNO  but, according to Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob, a lawyer with links to Mukhriz, Najib’s strategy of attempting to throttle the state economically to get at the chief minister’s father is a mistake that risks driving it back into the hands of PAS, which ruled it from 2008 to 2013, and has recently intensified its own criticism of Mukhriz.

“The general feeling on the part of Kedahans is that they are being squeezed,” Imran said. “There is a real impact on the ground. But there is a danger because it is a swing state. UMNO regained it from PAS [in the 2013 general election] due to promises made that having UMNO would pave the way for development.”

Indeed, last week Ahmad Yahaya, the PAS information chief in Kedah, told local reporters that after two years under the national ruling coalition, “It is proven that Mukhriz has failed to continue with various plans to lead Kedah towards the betterment of all of its people. In fact, all of the dreams he spoke about previously appear to be just that, dreams.”

PAS, Imran said, is improving its chances for the next election after having returned to its fundamentalist roots, which appeal to the rural Malays who make up the vast bulk of the party’s voters in Kedah.

Other attempts have been made to discredit Mukhriz, with charges that Islamic schools in the state were hotbeds of terrorist education. Lebai Sudina, a Kedah state assemblyman, issued a statement in April saying Mukhriz should resign as UMNO leader in the state if he didn’t declare his support for Najib’s leadership.

Mukhriz has remained largely silent, although he did join criticism of the debt-ridden 1MDB’s sale of land to the Muslim Pilgrim’s Fund [Tabung Haji] at an inflated price that many other critics said was an attempt to funnel public money to the investment fund in an effort to keep it afloat.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 July 2015, 8:16 am and is filed under
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Scandal in Malaysia

Wall Street Journal

July 5, 2015

Evidence that a state-owned fund diverted money to the Prime Minister.

The Journal broke the news Friday that Malaysian government investigators have discovered evidence of potential corruption involving Prime Minister Najib Razak. Almost $700 million linked to the state-owned investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB, was allegedly transferred into his personal accounts. Neither the original source or ultimate destination of the money is clear.

Mr. Najib’s office put out a statement that “there have been concerted efforts by certain individuals to undermine confidence in our economy, tarnish the government and remove a democratically-elected prime minister.” It called the Journal article a “continuation of this political sabotage.”

The size of the alleged diversion is shocking, but the abuse of public entities for private gain is politics as usual in Malaysia. The scandal is a case study in the effects of one-party rule by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) on the country’s institutions.

Mr. Najib helped set up 1MDB in 2008 when he was Deputy Prime Minister to facilitate investment from the Middle East. It quickly took on $11 billion in debt as it bought assets in energy and real estate. After a plan to sell shares in an energy subsidiary fell through, the fund has had difficulty servicing its debt and has switched auditors at least twice. The debacle has pushed up yields on Malaysian debt as it eroded investors’ faith in the government.

Many of the fund’s complex web of transactions raised troubling questions when they became public. The Journal reported last month that after 1MDB apparently overpaid for the assets of a company, that company donated to a charity led by Mr. Najib that spent heavily ahead of the 2013 general election in the battlefield state of Penang. The Prime Minister’s Office called the story baseless.

Much of the coverage of 1MDB within Malaysia has focused on the role of Jho Low, a young deal-maker and friend of the Prime Minister’s stepson who has described himself as a “concierge service” for investors. Leaked emails show he used a federal loan guarantee from Mr. Najib that didn’t have proper central-bank approval, and that he brokered a $2.5 billion joint venture with an obscure Abu Dhabi company called PetroSaudi that quickly fell apart. Mr. Low says he holds no position at 1MDB and denies wrongdoing.

An important facet of the 1MDB story is the allegation by UMNO and opposition politicians that 1MDB underpaid for public assets such as land and overpaid for assets bought from influential Malaysians. After the fund was forced to delay debt repayments and the political cost for Mr. Najib began to rise, the fund began to sell some of its assets to other public entities at suspiciously high prices.

This is a familiar story. A government investment scheme is launched with grandiose promises of moving up the value chain and other economic jargon. Then the asset stripping begins. If the project goes reasonably well, the ruling party has an accomplishment to point to, with the high costs conveniently forgotten. If it fails, public money bails it out in some form, with the state-owned oil monopoly Petronas the ultimate backstop.

The trouble of late is that the falling price of oil has drained the trough of public money out of which the politically well-connected are used to feeding. That has led to internal strife within the ruling elite. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has become the public leader of a campaign to push Mr. Najib to resign. But many in the government remain loyal to the Prime Minister out of fear that if he goes, the whole system could come crashing down.

UMNO has ruled Malaysia for a half century by keeping the Malay majority loyal with racial preferences and patronage. As the country’s middle class has grown, awareness has spread of the true cost of the system and the ruling coalition’s electoral machine has begun to falter.

If the allegations against Mr. Najib prove true, Mr. Mahathir and others are right to call for his resignation. But incompetence and greed won’t be rooted out until Malaysia’s democracy matures into a true multiparty system.

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 7 July 2015, 7:53 am and is filed under
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An evening with Zairil

Farouk A. Peru

The Malaysian Insider

8 July 2015

London has a thriving scene of Malaysian political activism. I began taking notice of it a few years ago when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to win over the London crowd.

Since then, much has changed. The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) which was just a newborn back has now met a timely demise.

However, I have to express admiration for DAP which is still going strong. They retained Penang in the 13th general election and have now weathered the breakup of PR.

Last Sunday, I steeled myself for a ride on the London underground to attend a talk by Zairil Khir Johari.

For those of you who don’t know, riding on the tube during hot London summers is like almost like a taking shower!

Sweaty tourists tend to pack the tube, and while they hold on to overhead railings… you can imagine what happens.

Zairil is one of DAP’s young politicians who showed us why, if there is any political party worth its salt in Malaysia, it is DAP.

People my age and older would also recognise the pedigree in his name. His father, Tan Sri Khir Johari was a former minister of education and a close compatriot of the Tunku himself.

Before the evening was over, Zairil would show us that apple does not fall far from the tree.

Zairil opened his talk by lamenting the situation Malaysia was in at present.

From economic woes to mismanagement in governance, Malaysia was in the midst of major political issues.

He also mentioned the problem of rising conservatism among the main portion of the Malay-Muslim electorate.

This, in my opinion, is not just a problem but the problem which underpins all the problems.

As long as the Malay-Muslims experience rising conservatism, they will keep voting for the two biggest political parties which cater to Malays – Umno and PAS, both political disasters in their own distinct ways.

Since the last GE13, Umno has found that being more right-wing enabled it to garner more support among the Malays.

It has thus become even more of a mainstay to Barisan Nasional (BN) that ever before. In contrast, PAS actually lost support in the last GE.

This may be due to the fact that its notion of governance is centred around whether or not men and women can queue together without breaking out in a sexual frenzy.

In any case, it also found that the more conservative it became, the more acceptable to its masses. The end result spells destruction to the future of our nation.

However, did this mean that an Umno-PAS marriage was on the cards? Zairil did not seem to think so.

He believed that with the meagre number of seats PAS controlled, even if it did happen, it would not make much of a difference.

When these Malay-Muslim parties contested in the next GE, they would have to compromise with one another and this would lead to a zero-sum game.

Zairil reminded us of the last time PAS entered BN. That experience did not last very long and led to a very acrimonious split. However, will the power-crazy Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Datuk Haron Din be deterred? Who knows?

Racist and religious politics is the lowest kind of politics we can engage in. Neither requires any kind of thinking.

One required racist chest-beating of political divine rights and the other requires blind adherence to the priesthood.

Zairil however, had something far more philosophical for us that evening. He unleashed some deep political thinking upon us.

If there was one word to sum up Zairil’s political philosophy, I would surmise that it is decentralisation. He believed it was centralisation in many shapes and forms that came to ossify Malaysian political institution and robbed it of its dynamism.

He believed that “permanent coalitions” (the worst being BN of course) were the main culprits of this.

We must remember that Malaysia is a federation made up of 13 states and 3 federal territories. As such, the needs and wants of each state would be different.

I found this to be a fair proposition but I would draw the line when it came to political alliances.

True, it was the mandate of the Kelantanese to choose PAS but can it ever be a good idea for any democratic party to team up with the Islamofascists?

Remember, their political philosophy is supremacist. They will not stop at kind of compromise as ultimately, the Islamic state is their all-consuming goal.

Zairil however, believed that having PAS at the table is still better than not. He believes the politics of exclusion will ultimately have a polarising effect and nurture extremism, citing the case of recent Egyptian politics.

I do concede that he is right but with PAS’s level, having them at the table is not enough. They want all the seats at the table and ultimately the table itself!

An interesting issue came up in the Q&A about education. Is it beneficial to Malaysia to have vernacular schools?

Here I believe Zairil demonstrated his political insight prominently. He said in the Sekolah Kebangsaan, although seemingly national actually now had a very low percentage of non-Malays.

On the other hand, Chinese vernacular schools had a rising number of non-Chinese students. It appears that Malays recognise quality education and racial/religious issues don’t erode that recognition.

All in all, it was an excellent evening for good political discussion. If pure political knowledge, insight and policy were the order of the day, I would put my money on DAP.

Sadly, the rakyat is not perfect and are prone to racist chest beating and religious fundamentalism and will not choose according to those who will do the job.

Whatever the case, I salute DAP for its tenacity and hope it wins out in the end for the sake of a better Malaysia. – July 8, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 8:45 am and is filed under
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Inquiry Into Malaysian Fund Also Puts Spotlight on Prime Minister

by Austin Ramzy

New York Times

July 7, 2015

HONG KONG — Officials in Malaysia said on Tuesday that they had frozen bank accounts as part of an investigation into the country’s troubled development investment fund and accusations that hundreds of millions of dollars from the fund had been transferred to Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Government investigators have been looking into the finances of the heavily indebted 1Malaysia Development Berhad, also known as 1MDB. News reports have said that some of its funds have been routed to accounts controlled by Mr. Najib.

Citing documents from the inquiry, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that investigators had found documentation of nearly $700 million in deposits to accounts they believe are controlled by Mr. Najib. The newspaper said the documents did not describe the source of the funds or what happened to them after they were suspected of being transferred to the Najib-controlled accounts.

In a statement on Tuesday, Malaysian authorities said they had frozen six accounts and had taken documents related to 17 accounts at two banks on Monday. The statement did not name the banks or the account holders, but it did say that the actions were connected to allegations against the prime minister.

The statement was issued by Malaysia’s attorney general, the governor of Malaysia’s central bank, the inspector general of Malaysia’s police and the head of the country’s anticorruption commission.

1MDB has denied that any of its funds have gone to the prime minister. Mr. Najib has denied any wrongdoing, but he has not addressed the specifics of the allegations.

The claims of corruption have stirred opposition to Mr. Najib and led to calls for further inquiries. Mahathir Mohamad, a former prime minister and onetime ally of Mr. Najib, told The New York Times last month that “the apparent disappearance of huge sums of money” was “not good.”

Malaysia’s state-run Bernama news agency quoted Mr. Najib as saying on Monday: “I did not betray the people. I will find ways to uphold the truth. Be calm, the truth will prevail.”

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 5:44 am and is filed under
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Najib has notched up another precedent, sending  lawyers’ letter which is ambivalent whether it paves the way for the Prime Minister  to sue or not to sue Wall Street Journal

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has notched up another precedent, sending  lawyers’ letter which is ambivalent whether it paves the way for the Prime Minister  to sue or not to sue Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for publication of report that Malaysian government investigators have found almost US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) of 1MDB’s funds deposited into Najib’s personal accounts at AmBank.

According to Malaysiakini, Najib’s lawyers, the legal firm Hafarizam Wan & Aisha Mubarak has asked Dow Jones, the owner of WSJ, to respond with 14 days “whether it is your position, as taken in the articles, that our client misappropriated nearly US$700 million from 1MDB”.

Najib’s lawyers’ letter to Dow Jones said: “You will no doubt appreciate the seriousness of the allegation made against our client in the said articles and confirmation is sought to enable us to advise our client the appropriate legal recourse he can take to seek redress in relation to the publication of these articles.”

If UMNO Supreme Council member and Deputy Agriculture Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman is right that WSJ never implicated Najib, but only 1MDB, such a letter should not have been sent.

However, this letter was not what Malaysians had been led to expect with the various threats of legal action against WSJ for its report and allegation, especially as conspicuously absent is any  forthright demand to WSJ to apologise for the defamation of the Prime Minister and withdrawal of WSJ report concerned with the undertaking not to repeat such defamation.

I do not know what is going to be  WSJ response to the letter by Najib’s lawyers, but under these circumstances, nobody can rule out a scenario where the WSJ report remains while no legal  action is instituted by Najib’s lawyers  against WSJ.

From the letter from Najib’s lawyers, there appears to be room for dispute as to whether the WSJ report as it stands is defamatory of Najib or not.

So where does the government and the nation go from here?

Najib had accused former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir for “masterminding” the latest allegation against him and working “hand in glove” with foreigners as a continuation of the political sabotage against his Prime Ministership.

Is Najib instead going to institute legal action against Mahathir for the falsehoods and lies being levelled against the Prime Minister?

Mahathir had retorted in his  blog that it was Najib and not him who has embarrassed the nation with the 1MDB imbroglio.

Mahathir said:

“In other nations, a scandal like this involving a leader would have seen him resign and apologising.

“But in Malaysia, there are those who defend the leader without reason, just to safeguard their positions.

“It is Najib who embarrassed the nation with his 1MDB. Before this, the country has never been ridiculed with allegations that have gone unanswered.”

While former Attorney-Gneeral Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman claims that there is no legal requirement to compel the Prime Minister to vacate his position or go on leave while investigations on the WSJ report and allegation are ongoing, it is crystal clear that Malaysia cannot afford to have a Prime Minister who has been stripped of all credibility, moral authority and legitimacy as the  head of government.

For the good of the country, Malaysia must move forward and  cannot continue even for another day in  the  state of government morass and national paralysis induced by the 1MDB scandal and crisis.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 1:20 pm and is filed under
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Parti baharu sangat dinantikan

A Shukur Harun

The Malaysian Insider

7 July 2015

Pelbagai pihak, khususnya generasi muda, sedang menunggu-nunggu akan kelahiran parti baharu – Gerakan Harapan Baharu – yang dirancang diumumkan selepas hari raya ini.

Ini menunjukkan sebuah parti baharu yang mampu memberikan harapan masa depan kepada rakyat Malaysia sangat diharapkan. Iaitu ketika rakyat melihat dengan sangat bimbang pelbagai krisis yang menimpa negara yang tidak dapat diselesaikan oleh parti pemerintah, di tengah-tengah Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sendiri juga tidak habis-habisnya berkrisis.

Parti Gerakan Harapan Baharu ini dirancang penubuhannya oleh golongan progresif dan sederhana yang disingkirkan dengan penuh hina dalam muktamar PAS bulan Jun lalu.

Penubuhan parti ini juga untuk meneruskan legasi perjuangan Allahyarham Datuk Fadzil Mohd Noor dan Allahyarham Tuan Guru Nik Abd Aziz Nik Mat yang sangat terbuka dan demokratik serta berpandangan jauh ke depan.

Seperti dikatakan, pelbagai NGO, masyarakat sivil dan golongan muda, menyatakan sokongan terhadap parti baru ini yang membayangkan harapan tinggi mereka dalam menghadapi pelbagai cabaran.

Perlu diingat, menurut statistik dalam pilihan raya umum yang lalu, jumlah pengundi muda mencapai 4.1 juta orang, suatu jumlah yang sangat signifikan dalam percaturan politik tanah air. Pengundi muda ini sangat mengharapkan kemunculan parti baru ini untuk mendukung aspirasi mereka.

Bagi aktivis pelajar, Fahmi Zainol, gagasan parti baharu yang sedang dirancang itu adalah suatu keperluan, khususnya di kalangan anak muda yang berhaluan Islamik tetapi terbuka dan demokratik.

Bekas presiden Persatuan Mahasiswa Universiti Malaya (PMUM) itu berkata, parti yang sedemikian itu seharusnya ditubuhkan 5 hingga 10 tahun dulu lagi.

Namun Setiausaha Bertindak Gerakan Harapan Baharu, Dr. Dzullkifly Ahmad berkata, penyingkiran golongan sederhana dan progresif daripada kepimpinan tertinggi PAS tempoh hari menyebabkan satu wadah baharu yang lebih kukuh dan inklusif dibina untuk semua rakyat Malaysia.

Beliau menyifatkan kekalahan mereka secara blok dalam pemilihan di muktamar itu sebagai “rahmat yang tersembunyi” apabila ia membuka ruang membina sesuatu lebih kukuh untuk Malaysia selepas ini.

Dr. Dzullkifly mengakui sejak sekian lama pihaknya bertelingkah dalam PAS dengan pendekatan dan pandangan yang berbeza berhubung beberapa perkara.

Dengan takdir Allah, apa yang berlaku di muktamar PAS Jun lalu itu menyebabkan perubahan besar berlaku di mana “sekarang kita bebas untuk membentuk sebuah wadah baru lebih inklusif untuk semua rakyat negara ini.”

Kalaulah tidak berlaku perubahan dalam muktamar PAS tempoh hari itu, tentunya golongan progresif dan sederhana dalam parti itu sangat sukar melaksanakan idea mereka untuk mengekalkan parti itu sebagai parti yang inklusif.

Sementara itu hingga setakat ini, cadangan penubuhan parti baru ini mendapat dukungan pelbagai pihak termasuk PasMa, iaitu NGO yang pro PR dan NGO Islam serta juga beberapa tokoh masyarakat.

Berapa ramaikah ahli PAS dijangka menyeberang menyertai parti baharu ini? Tidak ada siapa yang pasti. Tetapi yang pasti mereka tidak akan dipujuk rayu dan seumpamanya untuk menyertai parti baharu ini.

Justeru, mereka sangat faham akan percaturan politik tanah air serta memahami situasi parti mereka, malah boleh meramalkan masa depan parti mereka.

Kini, pemimpin yang akan menubuhkan parti baharu ini sedang menyusun serapi mungkin rangka kerja dan strategi untuk memenuhi kehendak pelbagai golongan yang bersedia menyokong.

Parti baharu ini dikatakan mengelak untuk berkonfrontasi dengan sesiapa dan pihak manapun, tetapi akan tetap mendedahkan kelemahan Umno/BN yang memerintah sekarang ini.

Begitu juga pemimpin parti baharu ini akan menjawab dengan hujah fakta dan ilmu serta akhlak Islam segala tuduhan yang ditujukan kepada mereka dari mana-mana pihak. Jawapan ini bukan dalam bentuk “serangan lawan serangan” tetapi hujah lawan hujah.

Parti baharu ini sangat menitikberatkan integriti dan tanggungjawab moral. Justeru, pendukungnya merasakan inilah amanah yang sangat dipegang kukuh oleh pendiri parti baharu ini.

Ia akan bekerjasama, malah menyertai gabungan baharu parti pembangkang yang mempunyai cita-cita yang sama iaitu menentang rasuah, perkauman, fahaman agama yang sempit dan jumud, menentang rasuah, penyelewengan, ketirisan dan segala bentuk salah guna kuasa.

Ia mahu melihat negara ditadbir berdasarkan kelayakan dan amanah seperti yang digariskan oleh Islam.

Inilah visi yang dicetuskan oleh sekumpulan bekas pemimpin progresif PAS.

Menurut pendapat saya, dengan parti baharu ini, mereka berusaha merealisasikan cita-cita murni untuk membina sebuah masyarakat adil yang di dalamnya terbina harapan masa depan rakyat berbilang kaum dan agama.

Sepanjang bulan Ramadan ini, pelbagai perbincangan dan gerak kerja sedang dilakukan di seluruh negara oleh pemimpin parti baharu ini, sebagai persiapan untuk menubuhkan secara rasmi parti baharu ini selepas hari raya. Sebelum itu siri penerangan seluruh negara akan diadakan.

Dengan penyertaan parti baharu ini dalam gabungan baru parti politik pembangkang – menggantikan PR – ia diharapkan akan lebih kuat dan berkesan.

Parti politik baharu ini, akan mengambil kedudukannya di centre-stage poltik Malaysia dan akan mengambil peranan penting mencorakkan pentas politik negara ini.

Baru-baru ini saya bertemu dengan beberapa tokoh pemimpin politik baharu Malaysia ini di mana mereka menekankan untuk mendengar sebanyak mungkin pandangan daripada pelbagai NGO, golongan muda, veteran dan lain-lain.

Semuanya kata mereka, akan dirumus untuk membina suatu wadah baharu bagi politik Malaysia.

Saya kira, adalah sangat wajar kita memberikan peluang kepada para tokoh pencetus politik baharu ini kerana mereka adalah para tokoh berpengalaman dalam politik, berilmu dan berwibawa.

Maka itu diharapkan politik baharu Malaysia ini – bersama gabungan baharu pembangkang – akan beroleh kemenangan dalam pilihan raya umum Malaysia akan datang. Ini sebuah harapan, dengan izin Allah SWT akan berjaya. – 7 Julai, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 6:05 am and is filed under
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Siapa untung jika Najib berundur?

ANALISIS OLEH ZULKIFLI SULONG, PENGARANG ANALISIS DAN RENCANA

The Malaysian Insider

8 July 2015

Siapakah yang bakal mendapat manfaat daripada krisis dihadapi Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak sekarang?

Siapakah bakal dilantik perdana menteri sekiranya Najib terpaksa melepaskan jawatan ekoran skandal syarikat sarat hutang 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang sudah menjadi perhatian antarabangsa.

The Malaysian Insider cuba menyenaraikan tokoh yang mungkin mendapat manfaat sekiranya anak kepada perdana menteri kedua, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein berundur.

1. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

Sebagai pemain utama, Dr Mahathir sudah tentu mendapat manfaat yang paling banyak kerana menyerang Najib secara konsisten hampir setiap hari.

Namun apakah manfaat yang beliau dapat? Bolehkah beliau dilantik sebagai perdana menteri semula?

Agak sukar kerana beliau bukan ahli parlimen, tiada jawatan dalam Umno, sudah terlalu tua dan zamannya sudah berlalu.

Namun, Dr Mahathir boleh mencaturkan siapa orang yang dikehendaki menggantikan Najib sebagai perdana menteri. Buat masa ini beliau memilih Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Dr Mahathir juga boleh memastikan orang yang beliau sayang dan suka mendapat tempat yang sewajarnya selepas kejatuhan Najib.

2. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin

Sebagai timbalan perdana menteri dan timbalan presiden Umno, sudah menjadi tradisi Muhyiddin akan menggantikan Najib sekiranya apa-apa berlaku.

Najib juga pada 2009 menggantikan Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi selepas bekas presiden Umno itu didesak meletakkan jawatan.

Umno sudah pun membuat keputusan menangguhkan pemilihannya selama 18 bulan. Jadi dengan secara automatik, Muhyiddin akan memegang jawatan itu sehinggalah mandat untuk Barisan Nasional (BN) tamat.

Tetapi bagaimana kalau hasil penyiasatan mendapati beliau turut terlibat dengan skandal 1MDB?

Tidak mungkin sebagai seorang timbalan perdana menteri dan juga timbalan presiden Umno, beliau tidak tahu jika duit yang dimasukkan ke akaun peribadi Najib itu duit parti atau untuk kegunaan parti dalam pilihan raya ke 13.

Beliau berada dalam kabinet Najib dan berada dalam Majlis Tertinggi Umno bersama Najib.

3. Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dan naib-naib presiden Umno

Orang paling popular dalam Umno sekarang ialah Zahid. Ini kerana beliau mendapat undi tertinggi bagi naib presiden dalam pemilihan lepas.

Perlu diingat, jawatan presiden dan timbalan presiden tidak dipertandingkan dalam pemilihan Umno lepas.

Juga berpeluang adalah dua lagi naib presiden Umno kerana tidak semestinya naib presiden paling kanan terpilih sebagaimana berlaku ketika Dr Mahathir terpilih menggantikan Tun Hussein Onn.

Jika pelantikan seorang perdana menteri baharu juga memerlukan sokongan pembangkang, Zahid mungkin boleh menjadi calon kompromi.

Ini kerana hubungan pribadi beliau dengan beberapa tokoh pembangkang terutama Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Namun kes beliau sama dengan Muhyiddin, mungkin terpalit, kerana beliau berada dalam Kabinet Najib dan Majlis Tertinggi Umno.

4. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar mungkin mendapat manfaat daripada kejatuhan Najib.

Pembebasan beliau dari penjara mungkin menjadi tawaran timbal balas daripada kemelut politik dalam negara pada hari ini.

Ini kerana, gabungan pembangkang yang dahulunya dikenali sebagai Pakatan Rakyat, walau sedang dalam perpecahan juga, mendapat sokongan 52% rakyat Malaysia dalam Pilihan Raya Umum ke 13 lalu.

5. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

Nama ahli Parlimen Gua Musang ini sentiasa naik apabila berlaku krisis dalam Umno sebagai calon alternatif.

Jika benar wang dimasukkan ke dalam akaun Najib itu adalah wang Umno untuk kegunaan pilihan raya bagi membantu calon BN dalam pilihan raya umum lalu, Razaleigh adalah calon yang tidak terlibat.

Beliau tiada dalam Kabinet Najib dan Majlis Tertinggi Umno. Jadi beliau calon alternatif untuk dilantik sebagai perdana menteri.

Di samping itu, jika nama Razaleigh yang dikenali sebagai Ku Li dibawa, beliau sudah tentu mendapat sokongan daripada pembangkang dan ahli politik dari Sabah dan Sarawak yang mempunyai saham besar dalam politik Malaysia. – 8 Julai, 2015.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 8 July 2015, 3:33 pm and is filed under
Anwar Ibrahim
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Mahathir
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Muhyiddin Yassin
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Najib Razak
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Razaleigh Hamzah
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Zahid
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