Najib should present Ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday on the scandal of Michael Chia

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should present a Ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday on the RM40 million donation scandal of Sabah timber trader Michael Chia as well as whether the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had violated conflict-of-interest principles when answering questions in Parliament on the issue.

Although the Prime Minister last month (Oct. 19) denied that there was any attempt to smuggle the RM40 million “donation for Sabah UMNO” into the country and claimed that the whole issue had “already been explained in Parliament”, the facts are the contrary.

Instead of putting the issue to rest, Nazri’s various explanations, both inside and outside Parliament, some of which contradicted each other, on the alleged RM40 million “donation for Sabah UMNO”, have only aroused greater suspicion and reinforced widespread belief that a major cover-up is afoot about the RM40 million scandal – which went as far back as more than four years ago on August 14, 2008 at the Hong Kong International Airport allegedly over currency trafficking and laundering with S$16 million cash in Singapore currency in Michael Chia’s luggage before boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Nazri’s claim that when answering in Parliament, he was only reading the answers whether given by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the Attorney-General and that he was not responsible for these answers is completely unacceptable and makes a total mockery of the principle of Ministerial responsibility to Parliament.

The further revelation, confirmed by Nazri himself, that his son Nedim was using a luxurious Hummer SUV, which retails at over RM459,000, owned by Chia, has raised serious questions whether conflict-of-interest principles had been gravely violated when he made statements in Parliament clearing Michael Chia as well as the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Aman of corruption.

It is most ironic that just a month after he had exhorted at the Sixth International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) Conference and general meeting in Kuala Lumpur on the critical and crucial importance to instil “a natural abhorrence to corruption” among people in positions of power and authority, he is now under a serious test whether he is prepared to “walk the talk” by giving a Ministerial statement on the swirling questions affecting Michael Chia, Musa Aman and Nazri in Parliament on Monday.