In view of the latest allegations, an opposition leader has called on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to step up to the plate and tell his boss, Najib Abdul Razak, to go on leave.
Following this, Lim Kit Siang said a three-person committee of national elders, comprising two former premiers "Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and ex-deputy prime minister, Tun Musa Hitam", should decide whether and the conditions on which Najib should return to resume the top post.
While Abdullah and Musa have remained silent on the ongoing crisis, Mahathir has been harping on the 1MDB issue and repeatedly called for Najib's resignation.
Lim said Muhyiddin must ask for a meeting with Najib not only on behalf of the Cabinet, but also of Parliament and the country, in order to ask him to go on leave.
The DAP leader was responding to a report in The Wall Street Journal which claimed that US$700 million was channelled into bank accounts believed to be that of Najib's.
"These allegations are most far-reaching in scope and implication, in particular on good governance and public integrity and accountability, plunging the country into an unprecedented crisis which had never been experienced in Malaysia, as no prime minister in Malaysia had ever been singled out in the fashion like Najib for prime ministerial misconduct," he said in a statement.
Lim ( photo ) also argued that the denial from 1MDB and the Prime Minister's Office are "too flimsy" given the serious charge from a reputable international publication.
"Prime ministers in developed parliamentary democracies would have no hesitation in going on leave until the serious allegations are cleared, and there is no reason why Najib should be an exception," he added.
Alternatively, he said Najib should agree to the convening of an emergency meeting of Parliament next seek in view of the unprecedented political crisis facing the country arising from the WSJ allegations.
Was this money used in GE13?
In a related development, electoral watchdog Bersih also joined the chorus calling for an investigation.
Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah ( photo ) said although 1MDB was a private company, it was funded by taxpayers' money and following such allegations, a probe must be carried out.
"Bersih demands an investigation on the prime minister as to whether he, as the president of Umno, spent money in GE13 in sustaining his party or financed the party's campaign during the last general election.
"We would like to emphasise that the financing of election campaigns should not involve the people's money as it creates an uneven level playing field as the ruling coalition would obviously be heavily advantaged as compared to the opposition.
"Therefore, we hereby demand an answer together with an explanation from the prime minister," she added.
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