Tuesday, September 08, 2015

NST and Berita Harian spinning 'conspiracy theories' to distract from billions of ringgit embezzled and lost from 1MDB

Various news reports over the past 2 days in The New Straits Times and Berita Harian has alleged or insinuated that I have been part of a conspiracy “to topple” the Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

As I have stated many times previously, I am involved in no such “conspiracy” with any party. I was however very eager to discover the truth behind the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal which has rocked the nation, where the documents proving the embezzlement of billions of ringgit has not been specifically disputed by both 1MDB or the Prime Minister.



Let me repeat here that I have known Clare Rewcastle of Sarawak Report since 2012 because of her whistleblowing reports on Sarawak and Malaysia.  As a Member of Parliament, it is my duty to establish the veracity of the reports, and if the reports are true, for me to demand accountability from the Governments.

Over the last few years, I have shared many contacts with Clare Rewcastle and discussed various subjects relating to politics in Malaysia.  Among the contacts shared included Dato’ Tong Kooi Onn of The Edge Media Publications.  However, if the sharing of contact information with journalists and media groups meant taking part in a “conspiracy”, I must have conspired with every media organisation in Malaysia who had requested for contacts from me.

Let me also repeat my earlier statements that I do not know anyone by the name of “Justo” until his arrest in Bangkok made news headlines.  I have never met him in any part of the world and was not involved in any transactions between him and anyone else.

Instead, like everyone else in Malaysia, I received the leaked information on 1MDB and Petrosaudi via the published reports on the Sarawak Report, which I found consistent with other information on 1MDB which I’ve discovered from my research earlier.

However, even in the event of any such alleged “conspiracy” to remove the Prime Minister, where is the criminal element in such actions, as long as they are done via democratic means?

In fact, as responsible leaders and citizens, we should work towards sacking a Prime Minister who is corrupt or repressive.  Removing a Prime Minister is part and parcel of a democratic system if he fails to win the confidence of the majority of elected representatives in the Parliament.

At this point of time, Dato’ Seri Najib Razak has refused to go on leave pending investigations, have refused to respond to specific allegations of embezzled funds from 1MDB and instead, have taken repressive actions to sack the Deputy Prime Minister, the Attorney-General and even the Special Branch Chief of the Police to shore up his control over the Government machinery.

The New Straits Times headlined that story yesterday with a quote from Clare Rewcastle, “I will drink when Najib is done.”  Ironically, instead of proving her guilt that she is involved in an allegedly illegal conspiracy, the NST had inadvertently expressed the exact sentiments of millions of Malaysians who want Dato’ Seri Najib Razak to resign as the Prime Minister today, for bring shame and disrepute to the country.

It is time for the mainstream media like the New Straits Times and Berita Harian to shift the focus to the billions of embezzled funds from 1MDB into companies like Good Star Limited controlled by Low Taek Jho, instead on some imaginative “conspiracy” to remove the Prime Minister.

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