In the wake of Wall Street Journal 's startling allegation against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, aspersion is being cast on the publication's credibility.
A posting in the 'Friends of BN' Facebook noted while WSJ is well-known internationally, the daily has been sued numerous times, including by Singapore, for "slander".
"So can WSJ be believed? Where is WSJ 's credibility if they are often sued but never tire of peddling false news," read the post.
Media mendedahkan kes rasuah atau salah laku dalam pentadbiran, adalah perkara yang baik namun sekiranya media tersebut...
Posted by Friends of BN - Barisan Nasional on Friday, 3 July 2015
The post added that while it is commendable for the media to expose corruption and wrongdoings in the government, it should not base its reports on false and unverified sources.
Otherwise, it added, the report becomes a malicious fabrication.
"Unfortunately there are certain quarters who use the media to topple others through fabrication," it said.
The posting was accompanied by an image ( photo ), showing reports on WSJ being embroiled in legal battles.
In another post, 'Friends of BN' pointed out a mistake in the spelling of Najib's name on a chart illustrating the flow of money into the PM's bank account published by whistleblower website Sarawak Report.
It subsequently cast aspersions on the accuracy of the expose given that Sarawak Report couldn't get Najib's name right ( photo below ).
Some of the responses saw other Facebook users calling on Najib to sue the WSJ if the report is erroneous.
A similar tone was also taken by ministers, such as Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Khairy Jamaluddin, to defend their boss against the claims made in the report.
Abdul Rahman, who oversees the housing, local government and urban well-being portfolio, questioned the veracity of the allegations based on the disclosure by an unnamed Malaysian investigator.
Similarly, Khairy, who is youth and sports minister, said WSJ 's report cannot be accepted as it did not contain concrete evidence or documents.
WSJ had claimed that US$700 million of 1MDB's funds had been transferred into bank accounts purportedly belonging to the prime minister.
Both 1MDB and the Prime Minister's Office denied this, with the latter describing the report as part of an attempt to sabotage Najib.
The report sparked off calls for investigations against the prime minister and for him to go on leave.
Malaysiakini sent queries to a WSJ spokesperson on the report but was told that information cannot be revealed in order to protect the source.
Currently, 1MDB is being probed by Bank Negara, the audit department, Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
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