Every PAC member should be given a copy of the two books on 1MDB scandal – the “Sarawak Report” and “Billion Dollar Whale” – and every PAC member should have read them by Tuesday for PAC to re-open investigations into 1MDB scandal
Every Public Accounts Committee member should be given a copy of the two books on the 1MDB scandal, viz. “The Sarawak Report – The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose” by the Sarawak Report editor, Clare Rewcastle Brown and “Billion Dollar Whale – the Man who fooled the Wall Street, Hollywood and the World” by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, two Wall Street Journal reporters.
Furthermore, all the PAC members should have read the two books on the 1MDB scandal by next Tuesday when they start to carry out Parliament’s directive following an unanimous parliamentary motion last August to “conduct again a detailed investigation on the embezzlement of monies and the scandal with regard to 1MDB and its related companies in order to restore the dignity of the Dewan Rakyat; and that all related information should be made public”.
Clare’s book is about the origin and development of the 1MDB scandal while Tom Wright and Bradley Hope’s book is more focussede on Jho Low, who with former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, were responsible for the world’s “kleptocracy at its worst” in Malaysia, and both them wrecked Malaysia’s international reputation and integrity turning Malaysia into a global kleptocracy.
If the PAC members have not supplied with these two books, and would not have read them by Tuesday, then the re-opening of PAC investigations into the 1MDB scandal should be deferred by a week to allow all PAC members to read up both books.
I have yesterday suggested that the PAC Chairman, Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee should recuse himself from PAC re-opening of investigations into 1MDB scandal as he was Deputy Speaker of the previous Parliament, taking a very biased and prejudicial position on the 1MDB scandal at the behest of the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak by banning questions and debate on 1MDB scandal, undermining the dignity of the Malaysian Parliament and the nation, as well as raising serious conflict-of-interest questions.
There is another PAC member in the new Parliament who should also recuse himself from the PAC re-opening of investigations into the 1MDB scandal – Datuk Hasan Arifin, who was Chairman of the previous Public Accounts Committee whose report on the 1MDB scandal tabled in Parliament in April 2016 had been found wanting and most unsatisfactory, requiring a new parliamentary motion requiring a re-opening of investigations into the 1MDB scandal!
The PAC Report on the 1MDB scandal of the 13th Parliament in fact aided and abetted Najib and Jho Low to cover up massive corruption and money-laundering crimes instead of getting to the truth of the 1MDB scandal.
What is more serious, Hasan had been accused of dishonest conduct as PAC Chairman as he had admitted in the parliamentary debate on the motion for PAC to re-open investigations into the 1MDB scandal in August of having unilaterally and without consultation or consent of the other members of the PAC of deleting critical information about the ownership of Good Star Ltd (GSL) - which is the genesis of the 1MDB scandal!
In fact, Clare in her book described Hasan’s action as “skullduggery” in doctoring the final PAC report by chopping out the “most dangerous and damning sections” of the PAC report.
Hasan should be in the dock instead of being a PAC member in the re-opening of PAC investigations into the 1MDB scandal.
I have no objection to Hasan being a member of PAC, but surely the least he can do is to recuse himself from the PAC re-opening of investigations in the 1MDB scandal so that he would not be a standing embarrassment.