YOURSAY ‘If Sarawak Report’s claims are untrue, rebut them.’
'Blocking website makes PM look more guilty'
Sali Tambap: The prime minister and the government are not entirely innocent in the dissemination of information in this messy 1MDB controversy. Remember the issue involving BSI Bank in Singapore?
Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah stated clearly that cash was deposited there. Then, when the bank denied it, the minister said it was not 'cash' but 'units'. Now, was that a sleight of hand or a mistake?
The minister is the head of financial institutions in the country and one cannot imagine that he could have made a mistake on this matter. Besides, there was already an allegation that there was no cash in the bank.
Had 1MDB been more honest and transparent, the issue would not turn into the conflagration it is today.
So don't blame the whistleblower - the messenger, as minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan rightly said - but address the message honestly.
Let's get to the specific allegation. That the PM had accounts with AmBank and a huge sum of money (RM2.6 billion) was transferred into them.
On record, the PM has not denied this but instead issued vague statements like, "I have never used public money for my own benefit."
Can we, the public, hear, "Those accounts are not mine and therefore no such money was transferred?"
Then there was the allegation that the email were tampered. All 1MDB needs to show are the untampered email and we can compare them with the tampered ones. Alas, none of these are forthcoming.
The name of the game is simple - if the allegation is not true, rebut it. Simply saying that it is not true is unacceptable.
Ipoh PP: "It (the government) should confront the issue by either being truthful to the Malaysian public on the issues related to 1MDB as exposed not only by Sarawak Report but also by The Wall Street Journal and other international news agencies, or by initiating a legal suit against the operators of the Sarawak Report website and confront them in court," said PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil.
Yes, sue the publications if they have spread falsehoods and that you felt you have been wronged. Why deny us the right to read these articles if you have nothing to hide? In today’s world of technology, nothing can be suppressed or hidden.
Hamzah Paiman: How long will it take for a high-level task force to ascertain whether large amounts of money (which is disallowed under the Money Laundering Act) to have gone into an individual's account?
One day, three days, one month, six months, one year? Wouldn’t computers be able to help ascertain this in 30 seconds?
Eagle: This ban on Sarawak Report goes against the Bill of Guarantees when Malaysia launched its cyber laws and the Multimedia Super Corridor.
The Malaysian government had pledged that it would not censor the Internet. Here we are breaking our word of honour. That's no good for the government. We will be laughed at by the world, especially when the government cannot answer questions about 1MDB.
Borneo Highlander: 1MDB is the subject of ongoing inquiries by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) - a bi-partisan committee of Parliament. The PAC is a lawful authority to verify whether RM42 billion has ‘disappeared’ from 1MDB, as it has access to all information.
1MDB trusts that the honourable members of the PAC will specifically look into this allegation and conclusively resolve this matter.
Negarawan: It is a foregone conclusion that the attorney-general, task force and PAC will exonerate 1MDB and PM Najib Abdul Razak.
However, we now see fewer and fewer Umno ministers supporting Najib openly, except for a desperate few who are hoping for ministerial posts in the widely-expected cabinet revamp.
Partly, this is due to loss of trust, and partly because the new cabinet is viewed to be unsustainable. Within the Umno circles, there is growing disillusionment.
Those who will be dropped in the new cabinet line-up include many top guns who are aligned to former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
They will surely form a formidable challenge from the outside. Apart from that, Najib's approval rating is likely to be less than 20 percent at present, with growing resentment among the rakyat from the goods and services tax (GST), unbearable high cost of living, and uncertainties in the country’s leadership.
The pressure from within Umno will be far greater than from the opposition, which is still in disarray. Let's pray that Malaysia will survive this dark period.
Imissthegoodolddays: This is an open society but the government is making a stand, using laws and provisions - that any website or news portal proven to have used tampered documents can be shut down.
Not Convinced: Hello, it is not proven that Sarawak Report has used tampered documents. The government, by not revealing the so-called tampered information, is engaging in a smear campaign against Sarawak Report .
Saphire: Blocking Sarawak Report reminds us the Great King Canute's attempt to stop the waves in vain. Despite his power, he was no match to the supreme power of God.
Yes, there are lots of similarities here. MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) might have the power to block the report, but eventually it would not match to what God has willed - to expose the crooks in the 1MDB scandal.
UMYES: I would like to give Najib the benefit of the doubt but he is removing that doubt, day by day.
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