YOURSAY ‘Mahathir has raised the prospect of prison, and rightly so.’
Dr M: Najib's 'lie' on 1MDB a criminal act
Kingfisher: It is a sad episode in the annals of our governance culture when a sitting PM is identified for having lied in matters of fiscal responsibility as finance minister by none other than a former PM.
One can only imagine the courage and conviction of the former PM for an allegation of such serious content. More importantly, many would wish for this unfortunate situation to be solved in the interest of the nation and for the safeguarding of future ethical norms in public administration.
It is pointless for any one individual holding high office to presume that all and any matters should be done according to personal dictates or otherwise let the system be destroyed.
Hitler is reputed to have said that he will either change the nation in his image or he will destroy it. What Faustian arrogance. And an unnecessary cost to a nation.
Sali Tambap: The PM lied in that he said what was transferred from the Cayman Islands was in the form of cash and therefore needed to be parked in a foreign bank (in Singapore) so that the money could be retrieved easily, circumventing Bank Negara's restriction on cash transfer.
This week it was revealed by the finance minister that it was not cash but "units", after denial by BSI Singapore that the cash was deposited with them. That was indeed a lie. If it was not in cash, then the reason given for depositing it in Singapore was not valid anymore.
Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad is right on this, calling a spade, a spade. Now, we do not know the actual value of the "units" which are being put in a deposit box in BSI Singapore.
It could amount to what PM Najib Razak claimed it was (RM3.99 billion) but we can never be sure because the market value of these "units" can fluctuate. Besides, we do not even know in what form the "units" are; the finance minister was shy in saying so.
I guess what many Malaysians would like to know now, considering the reluctance of Najib/Finance Ministry in being honestly forthcoming with the information about 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), is about the RM42 billion debts it has incurred.
This is such a big amount, probably none of us have ever seen this much money in our lives. The question is - and what we want to know - is how and where the RM42 billion had gone to?
Could someone, especially 1MDB, itemise this? We would like to know what has been spent or owed that can amount to the massive RM42 billion. Otherwise this information must be made public from the audit report which should trace every single sen as to where the RM42 billion went to.
Sirach: Mahathir has raised the prospect of prison, and rightly so. To sweep things under the carpet will not do. There must be accountability and the alleged culprits must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
The government has been anything but forthright in its explanations. It has hemmed and hawed, twisted and turned. The lies must stop and the truth must emerge.
Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) role in this mystery must also be brought to light. It's inconceivable that such huge sums of money could have been transacted without BNM's knowledge and/or approval.
Mushiro: Najib has been lying and getting away with it for far too long. In this 1MDB case, Mahathir is right that this is a criminal offence as Najib lied with the intention of hiding key information to save himself.
But Arul Kanda, the new CEO, is equally liable as he clearly stated that the 1MDB funds had been repatriated to BSI Singapore and that he had seen the bank statements.
Eagle: A disclosure to Parliament must be as good as when companies disclose information to Bursa Malaysia or Securities Commission. That is the standard.
If the assets in BSI Singapore are in units, the Finance Ministry must reveal the quantity, type, value, etc, and other pertinent information. You can’t just say “units”. That's too vague.
Onyourtoes: Over to you PM. Someone has just said, you, the PM of Malaysia, can no longer be trusted. What are you going to do now? Continue like an ostrich, sue that fellow, or be honourable, resign and fade into sunset.
Jenglot: In 1992-1994, a total of RM30 billion also disappeared into thin air. Today, that RM30 billion is worth RM58 billion. And RM42 billion today would have been worth RM22 billion back in 1992-1994.
At that time, Mahathir was PM while Anwar Ibrahim was DPM and finance minister. They both lied to Parliament and the then opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang, called for their resignation and for them to be punished.
And today, Mahathir ironically wants Najib to be prosecuted for lying to Parliament regarding RM1 billion.
Voice: After decades of ruling, Umno-BN has ruined the country - Malaysia has become a country ridden with rampant corruption and cronyism, leakages, power abuse, incompetencies, oppression and failed policies.
Not just Najib but Umno has to go as well.
Jesse: So who is going to arrest the PM? Is the attorney-general (AG) going to prosecute him? Perhaps Dr M should start the ball rolling by making a police report.
But who is brave enough in law enforcement to take action? The police and AG are supposed to be independent. Are they really?
Basically: It didn’t take Dr M's genius to figure this out, just enough stamina to keep up with the load of crap spewed by the government and its cybertroopers.
We can put together a whole list of lies, half-truths and flip flops. First, tycoon Jho Low not involved, then later, only consulted, etc. First money repatriated back to Malaysia, then still in Cayman Islands, then in Singapore bank, then in assets.
First Tabung Haji to build condominiums, then to sell the land, now not sure what to do, etc. Not lying? Try harder to convince us.
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