1MDB: twister or twist of faith? – Ahmed QureshiPublished: 4 August 2015 1:15 PM

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday issued a statement that sent shock waves that created outcries and expressions of disgust among Malaysians.

It was a time when Malaysians were getting into gear in moving together with the anti-graft body with the out of line actions by the police in questioning investigators on the leaking of official documents to outside sources.

Malaysians are now also wondering on the rather surprise statement issued by the MACC as it has been issuing joint statements under the task force investigating on issues surrounding 1MDB.

It needs to be noted that the statement was by MACC and not the task force. Is there a twist or are we being twisted?

We need to catch some breath and allow the anger to tapper down and log on to our analytical pad.

Let’s rewind and review the statements made by various personalities when faced with the question on whether the was any truth into the fact that an amount totalling RM2.6 billion made its way into the personal account of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Najib himself denied in the beginning and then on went to say that he “did not use 1MDB money for personal gain”. In this time calls were made for him to sue such claims by The Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report and many other opposition leaders. But silence was golden!

Then shocking claims from former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, demanding for Najib to respond to the allegations and onto some revelations that suggests the claims to be true in the aftermath of the sacking saga and Cabinet reshuffle.

It was then people such as Deputy Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan that went on to defend the prime minister in refuting the claims of monies making its way into Najib’s personal account. Even a re-appointed minister in Datuk Seri Azalina had the skin to say that “the RM2.6 billion into PM’s account is not a serious issue”.

And the surprise package is revealed in MACC’s media statement issued yesterday that shocked many. Here it is important to begin questioning as to why the statement was not issued by the taskforce headed by the attorney- general?

Till this point Najib and his associated have refuted the claims. This is the total opposite in the statement issued by the MACC.

First, the statement, though in general seems to say that the investigations have been completed, on hindsight states that the said amount did make its way into the personal account of Najib. In an earlier statement the MACC clarified that the two accounts belonging to Najib was closed in 2013 and recently in 2015. 

Next, while it stated that the account was not holding money belonging to 1MDB but instead from donors. The next obvious question points to the identity of the donor or donors. This then goes to build on the suspicion that if the “donation” made its way into an active account, where is it now that the accounts have been closed? Was the money spent while the accounts were active and what were the transactions? Or did it make way to other depositories?

These are some very challenging questions that the public should steer towards Najib and to demand for explanation in light of the fact that the statement by the MACC in many ways proves two things, namely, the fact that all previous defence by Najib and his loyalists are in vain as money did exist in the personal account of Najib. Secondly, the amount is a donation amount which in the spirit of donation would have a purpose. What is the purpose of such a large amount of donation that needed to make its way into the personal account of a Prime Minister?

While there is empathy in what many Malaysians are feeling but there seems to be some hidden message in the statement by the MACC. This is so in reflection to the statement that MACC investigation is still ongoing involving SRC International and the RM4 billion fund.

This is one very interesting twister that hopefully will shed more light in the days to come.

The MACC is also under tremendous pressure by the police in what seems to point at them as the mole. There are many things the MACC will have to prove and based the current outcome, it is not as easy reading with the naked eye but one that will need foresight and premonition.

Great hope lies in the MACC to deliver the goods of an independent investigation and should there be elements of crime, then the perpetrator needs to be brought before justice. The MACC should at the same time be brave and fight any intimidation and pressure from any one, including the cabinet.

The MACC should at this crucial time exercise its independence in that the Commission does not answer to any minister and will only resort to its Independent Oversight Body for any such demands. – August 4, 2015.

*Ahmed Qureshi reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

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Dear, Najib – Abdullah HaronPublished: 4 August 2015 12:25 PM

Dear Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak,

I never like politics in my life so I do not see myself to be in your position. But if I do, I would resign now.  General Douglas MacArthur, in his speech to cadets at West Point, said: "Duty, Honour, Country - those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn."

As the prime minister of Malaysia, it should be your utmost duty to govern the country in such a way that your integrity is unquestionable and your policy remains respectable by the people. Right now, perception is bad, your policy seems like a flip-flop, and some of your ministers rationalise your policies like  they are living in a different world. As such, you have failed in your supreme duty to your party and Malaysians. So your second duty is to leave your job, voluntary, without anybody kicking you out. That is honour, because you know your action is in the best interest of Malaysia, not that of yourself or your family. By removing yourself from office, you would get the country out of a jam that no one but you can solve. The country is at a dead end, and breathing in bad air; it is suffocating. Your resignation would bring about much-needed breathing space, enabling the country to survive this dangerous juncture.

You should explain to those pushing blindly for an election, that they have it all wrong. A free and fair election is the result, not the cause, of democratic principles. An election in and by itself is meaningless unless democratic principles are in place. These are the principles of transparency, equality of all citizens, functional independent institutions, respect for the rule of law, and a separation of powers with adequate check-and-balance mechanisms.

There are good reasons why people yearn for real democracy, but an election is not even a sufficient condition of democracy. Despite holding general elections, many developing countries remain as undemocratic as love and money. An elected dictator is not an oxymoron. Under such regimes, leaders treat their countrymen as simpletons.

You should then ask people of all stripes to learn from Nelson Mandela. First, treat your enemies with respect and empathy. Mandela described apartheid as the denial of basic respect for black people. He won the trust of both whites and blacks because he was willing to respect all alike. "My people said I was afraid," he recalled. "They said I was a coward because I reached out to the Afrikaners … They have seen the result. We have peace."

Second, like Mandela, you should warn your fellow Malaysian citizens that we cannot start with a blank slate. Political reform cannot start from "year zero" because there is no such thing. Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot killed millions in vain bids to disprove this. No, reform has to be built from common ground, no matter how small it is. And on this matter, having no position to lose, you should be totally honest with the people and admit that real reform cannot be expected from any sitting government. It is too preoccupied with daily affairs to be bothered with long-term matters like political reform. This is not to mention the lack of incentive.

Third, you would not care if people accused you of speaking on behalf of your family and your cronies when you echoed Mandela's wise words: "Don't punish people – even when they deserve it." Mandela reportedly made pacts with many "devils". The man himself said we punish others to affirm our own moral superiority. He affirmed his by forgiving them. You would then leave it to the Malaysians to think for themselves, and decide how they want to do it.

Finally, in signing your resignation, you should attempt to assure yourself once more – it is so difficult to be completely convinced of this – that nobody is irreplaceable. This age-old adage

is worth repeating. Mandela said it, as did William Clay Ford, Jr, who pulled his great grandfather Henry's auto empire back from the brink.

You should also remind yourself (and your family) of the warning Ford Jr delivered in 2005 - that he had watched smart, intelligent leaders go soft after listening to their yes-men. Ford said what really scared him was a lifetime witnessing CEOs start to believe in their own infallibility amid the coaxing of their sycophants. This happens to many good people, you should reflect, not exclusively to yourself, or your family and followers. It was easy for us to forget to be humble. It was deeply cutting to hear the Army chief say: "If there were no wounds on the cow's back, the crows would not hover over it".

In bidding farewell to the public, you should tell them that you prefer to resign rather than sitting tight in your prime minister's chair watching your countrymen tearing each other apart. You prefer to let go of your grip on power, because that is the only honourable thing left to do at this juncture as a leader. Our national wounds are so deep and wide that healing will take a Herculean effort on everybody's part. Your resignation would be the beginning of that long and arduous healing process, with many bumpy spots down the road.

In this final moment of your time in the office, you should know it was irrelevant to even think about pride and dignity. As Confucius pointed out, a wise man has dignity without pride; a fool has pride without dignity.

You should let history be your judge. – August 4, 2015.

*Abdullah Haron reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. 

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‘Truth will prevail’, 1MDB says after MACC clears RM2.6b in Najib’s accountTuesday August 4, 201511:19 AM GMT+8

UPDATED:August 04, 201511:43 AM GMT+8

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1MDB Chief Executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy speaks to journalists at Menara IMC, 1Malaysia Development Berhad's office, in Kuala Lumpur, July 8, 2015. — Picture by Yusof Mat IsaKUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — Sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) said today it “welcomed” Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) statement that the RM2.6 billion deposited in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal accounts in 2013 had came from donors.

It added that MACC’s announcement yesterday confirmed that no monies from 1MDB’s fund or its subsidiaries were transferred to the prime minister’s bank accounts.

“We have always maintained that the company has never provided any funds to the Prime Minister as per our media statement on 3 July 2015, confident that the truth will prevail,” 1MDB president and group chief executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy said in a statement.

“To continue to suggest otherwise, as PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli did in his blog yesterday, is highly irresponsible and a deliberate attempt to undermine the company.

“This is despite 1MDB publishing  on 3 June 2015 a summary of what the RM42 billion debt has been used for, information that is fully disclosed in 1MDB’s audited and publicly available accounts from 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2014.”

Before MACC’s announcement yesterday, Rafizi had predicted that a new narrative would likely emerge over the next few days to describe the large deposits as a mere financial “contribution”.

MACC then confirmed yesterday that RM2.6 billion had been deposited into Najib’s accounts, but said the funds came from “donors” and not 1MDB as previously alleged.

In a statement to announce its findings, the MACC did not, however, disclose the identities of these donors or the purpose of the contribution, as well as how the money was spent.

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