Let Malaysians make a common commitment on 60th Merdeka Anniversary to be more patriotic than the Cabinet Ministers and resolve to save Malaysia from kleptocracy and extremism and to revive the Merdeka Dream for Malaysia to be a world-class nation in every field of human endeavour

On the occasion of the 60th Merdeka Anniversary, I call on all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics, to make a common commitment to be more patriotic than the Cabinet Ministers and resolve to save Malaysia from kleptocracy and extremism and to revive the Merdeka Dream for Malaysia to be a word-class nation in every field of human endeavor.

Two days ago on Monday, I issued an Open Letter to all Cabinet Ministers asking them to take a patriotic stand at the Cabinet meeting today on the eve of the 60th Merdeka Anniversary to veto Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from visiting White House to meet President Trump on Sept. 12 to spare 30 million Malaysians international shame and humiliation as the US Government had virtually branded the Malaysian Prime Minister as kleptocrat by being “MO1” in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ)’s kleptocratic litigation to forfeit US$1.7 billion 1MDB-assets in the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

In the last two years, Najib has not cleared or cleansed himself after being branded by the American Government as a kleptocrat by being “MO1” in the US DOJ’s largest kleptocratic forfeiture suits.

Najib cannot deny that he is “MO1” as his Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Economic Planning Unit, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, had told the world in a BBC interview last September that only an idiot would not know that the US DOJ reference of “MO1” was referring to none other than Najib.

The corruption problem in Malaysia has come to a stage where even Perak Sultan Nazrin has declared publicly that sixty years after Merdeka, corruption has become one of Malaysia’s major ills.

Speaking at the launching of the book “Fulfilling A Legacy – Tun Razak Foundation” by Shahreen Kamaluddin in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Sultan Nazrin said that if Tun were alive today, he would be disappointed by the scale and magnitude of the corruption problem in Malaysia today.

He said: “Tun Abdul Razak's heart would be crushed in following the exposure after exposure, arrest after arrest because of widespread corruption involving top officials and educated individuals which have tainted the country's good name.”

What is noteworthy is that the Perak ruler had not even referred to the monstrous 1MDB scandal which had overnight given Malaysia international infamy and ignominy for being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

In the extraordinary and unprecedented Merdeka video “Citizen” where the MCA President and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai took on a double acting role, corruption was also listed as one of the national catastrophes which had caused Malaysians to lose hope in Malaysia and in the Malaysian Dream.

Malaysians can lose hope in the Cabinet Ministers or the government-of-the day, but they must never lose hope in Malaysia or the Malaysian Dream to be a world-class nation of achievement and excellence in every field of human endeavour.

The Cabinet failed Malaysians in their big failure on the eve of the 60th Merdeka Anniversary to send out a clear and unmistakable message to Malaysians and the world that the Malaysian government and people will not tolerate any culture, politics or government of corruption.

It is now left to ordinary 30 million Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics to be more patriotic than the Cabinet Ministers and to save Malaysia from kleptocracy and extremism and to revive the Merdeka Dream for Malaysia to be a world-class nation in every field of human endeavor.

Let us make the 60th Merdeka Anniversary the turning-point for Malaysia, to stop the rot, bigotry and the distrust in the country and to achieve the Malaysian Dream where all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or politics, can hold their heads high as citizens of a great achieving nation in every field of human endeavor.

Happy 60th Merdeka Anniversary to all Malaysians.

Lim Kit Siang DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Gelang Patah