During WW II, a man was arrested in London for calling Winston Churchill a fool. The next day in the House of Commons, the opposition members were ready to roast the government for this. “Are we living in a police state”, they shouted, “where we cannot call the PM a fool”?

Churchill's reply was truly disarming: “The man was not arrested for calling the Prime Minister a fool”, he said, “but for letting out a state secret at a time of war.”

- Anonymous

COMMENT | Over the past two years, Prime Minister Najib Razak has had his name smeared, muddied and tarnished. He was called all sorts of names and even unpleasant prefixes were added - some undeserving and downright uncouth.

As the imbroglio over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) canters into its third year, there must have been times when some of the key players would have told the PM and themselves: “We should not have said that”; “We should have taken a different approach” or “We should have put our cards on the table”...

The whole issue would have taken a different dimension if only the game had been played by the rules and greater efforts were made to be transparent at all times. People involved were in denial mode from Day One and this led to speculation, assumption and conjecture.

This, in turn, gave a carte blanche to detractors and critics, who in all fairness, created some interesting yet unbelievable tales. And so, misinformation, half-truths and bare denials made the headlines.

What would make us citizens sit up and pay attention instead of dismissing whatever said by government officials and the mainstream media as propaganda? What would it take to restore public confidence in our system? This is no time for sentiments or phrases like “If only we could turn the clock backwards…” or some smart aleck saying: “I told you so.” Below are some “statements” which all right-thinking Malaysians would like to hear or read:

• The prime minister yesterday declared that he would invite the Arab prince who made the donation to make a public announcement on why he deposited RM2.6 billion into the former’s bank account. “Members of the media can ask the prince all the questions that linger in their minds and clear any doubts or misconception on the donation,” a spokesman said.
   
• The prime minister’s stepson Riza Aziz has agreed to travel to Washington and challenge the application by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to seize his assets. “I will prove that the money I invested in Red Granite came from genuine well-wishers and friends who bequeathed the wealth to me.”
   
• Interpol on the request of the Malaysian police has issued a Red Notice for the immediate arrest of Jho Low. He is wanted to assist the authorities in investigations into billions of ringgit which were allegedly siphoned from 1MDB.
   
• In a well-coordinated swoop, the US Navy intercepted the Equanimity in international waters off Japan. The superyacht was towed to a US base in South Korea. Jho Low was not on board and the crew were released after questioning...