The single biggest issue in 14GE on May 9, 2018 is whether Najib continues as Prime Minister or is ousted from Putrajaya

The single biggest issue in 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 is whether Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues as Prime Minister or is ousted from Putrajaya.

In four years, Najib has undone what the first five Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Razak, Hussein Onn, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Badawi, have done for Malaysia in 52 years – international admiration, respect and even acclamation for Malaysia!

Under Najib, Malaysia is the ridicule and scorn of the whole world as a global kleptocracy, as a nation whose leaders come from the four categories of kleptocrats – the four Ps of Pencuri, Perompak, Penyagak and Penyamun – responsible for a whole catalogue of corruption scandal led by the world’s “kleptocracy at its worst”, the multibillion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal!

So much so that when Malaysians go abroad, instead of proudly identifying themselves as Malaysians when overseas, they are very reluctant to admit that they are Malaysians to avoid inevitable questions about Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy.

The epithet of Malaysia as a global kleptocracy is a national disgrace and humiliation for Malaysia, and the 13th Parliament from 2013 to 2018 should have taken proactive action to defend Malaysia’s dignity, reputation and integrity and cleanse Malaysia of such ill reputation in the international community.

A responsible and patriotic Parliament would have gone to the bottom of the 1MBD scandal, either bringing to book the person or persons responsible for Malaysia’s infamy and ignominy as a global kleptocracy, or passed a resolution to tell the world that Malaysia is not a global kleptocracy with leaders who do not emanate from the categories of Pencuri, Perompak, Penyagak and Penyamun, but a model democracy with God-fearing leaders of integrity, principle and honesty!

Did the 13th Parliament do this?

It is to the eternal shame and disgrace of the Ministers and MPs of the 13th Parliament that this was not done, but Pakatan Harapan MPs are excluded from this hall of shame as they had tried but were not allowed to pursue the issue of the 1MDB scandal in Parliament.

The 13th Parliament not only failed in its national and patriotic duties, but became a tool of the Najib executive to aid and abet Najib in the 1MDB scandal, refusing to allow MPs to ask questions or debate the 1MDB scandal.

I was even suspended from Parliament for six months for demanding full accountability for the 1MDB scandal, to the extent that in the last six days of the 13th Parliament, I was regarded as a parliamentary “ghost” for the Speake and Deputy Speakers pretended that they could not see me although I attended Parliament diligently every day and was sitting in front of the Speaker’s Chair!

On May 9, 2018, we must elect MPs who are committed to restore Malaysia’s honour and reputation by exorcising the monster of the 1MDB scandal.

If Pakatan Harapan wins the 14th GE and becomes the new Malaysian Government in Putrajaya, the new MPs must full support the setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to get to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal.

If PH remains in Opposition, we must have MPs who can stand up in their demand that the 14th Parliament should not be like the 13th Parliament which had refused to get to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal, and must support full parliamentary debate and investigation into the 1MDB scandal.

In the Sibu and Lanang parliamentary constituencies, only the DAP candidates of Oscar Ling Chai Yew and Alice Lau Kiong Yieng can pass this test – in fact, they had passed su h a test as Members of Parliament in the 13th Parliament.

Now the responsibility to Save Malaysia and cleanse the reputation and integrity of Malaysia are in the hands of the 15 million voters on May 9, 2018 – to decide that Najib should not continue as Prime Minister and that there should be a full investigation into the 1MDB scandal in the form of a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Lim Kit Siang DAP Parliamentary Leader