An important note for 60th National Day celebrations – Najib has achieved in eight years what none of the five previous Prime Ministers had done in 52 years

Malaysia will be celebrating our 60th National Day celebrations on August 31, 2017.

It will be an important note for our 60th National Day celebrations that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has achieved in eight years what none of the five previous five Prime Ministers – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah – had done in 52 years.

Firstly, Malaysia has become a global kleptocracy since Najib became Prime Minister in April 2009.

Although Najib and his Cabinet keep up a pretence and a façade that the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal does not exist, the “ghost” of the 1MDB scandal would not go away, for almost every other day, there would be new developments resulting in 1MDB world headlines in some part of the world.

In the month of February 2017 – which has not ended – the world news on the 1MDB scandal included:

  • Singapore seizes Bombardier Global 5000 jet of Malaysian tycoon Jho Low in the centre of the 1MDB scandal;
  • “Wolf of Wall Street” financier, Riza Aziz (Najib’s stepson) challenges US Government’s US$1 billion 1MDB seizures;
  • Malaysian and civil society call for Royal Commission of Inquiry on 1MDB when Najib said his cabinet will fully investigate the BMF and Bank Negara forex losses;
  • Swiss authorities ordering private bank, Coutts, to pay back SFr6.5 million of profits over 1MDB as numerous 1MDB “high risk” transactions were processed through a Coutts account, including the use of US$35 million for visits to casinos and the purchase of luxury services such a chartering yachts.
  • Jho Low is ramping up his fight to get back assets like New York’s Park Lane Hotel and a Van Gogh artwork. Newly-installed trustees are striking a fiestier tone than previous steward, Swiss bank Rothschild.
  • Talks by UAE fund seeking $6.5 billion from 1MDB deadlocked – the Abu Dhabi state fund International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) took its case to the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) last June but the two state-owned investment companies have been trying to thrash out a private settlement since then, the sources said.
  • US court gives nod for sale of Jho Low’s NYC hotel.

The kleptocratic 1MDB money-laundering scandal has caused untold shame to Malaysia and it is no wonder that Malaysians travelling abroad are shy to admit that they are from Malaysia.

But Najib has not only achieved “global kleptocratic” infamy for Malaysia, he has also Ministers and top UMNO leaders who are “global liars” like the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and the UMNO Information Chief, Datuk Seri Annuar Musa.

Sabri is unable to rebut my statement, which I am prepared to substantiate in a joint media conference with him, that he had reached “global liar” status as he hold told more than ten lies in short five-paragraph statement attacking me.

Anuar has achieved infamy in telling eight lies about me in a short statement responding to my offer to speak at the UMNO/BN nation-wide roadshow on the Cabinet’s decision to set up special task force to probe Bank Negara’s forex losses more than two decades ago.

Again, I offered to appear at a joint media conference where I could point out the eight lies which Anuar had made.

But neither Ismail Sabri nor Anuar Musa dared to accept my offer, although they do not bat an eyelid to issue statements replete with lies and falsehoods.

Now, Najib has set up a Cabinet special task force to investigate the Bank Negara forex losses in the 1990s.

Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop should resign or be sacked or suspended as Khazanah Nasional Bhd Deputy Chairman if the Cabinet is serious about probe into Bank Negara foreign exchange (forex) losses in the 1990s.

This is because Nor Mohamed Yakcop was the chief operator of Bank Negara’s forex speculation which resulted in colossal losses which could total some RM30 billion.

Why has there been no word from either Nor Mohd Yakcop or Najib?

Lim Kit Siang DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Gelang Patah