A PAS leader has asked if explaining away Prime Minister Najib Razak’s RM2.6 billion as a political donation to Umno was a “tactical mistake”.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man in a statement today noted that it took the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) one month to respond to the Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) expose on July 3 that alleged the money had come from debt-ridden 1MDB.
"Till now, we have not heard Najib suing WSJ , although the tale of the RM2.6 billion has become an international talking point.
“Was this a terrible tactical mistake?
“Because it has caused Najib to be afraid to respond to the RM2.6 billion issue in an upfront manner, although he received fierce criticism from the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in our own country,” said Tuan Ibrahim.
He was pondering on reasons why Najib was “remaining mute” about the alleged donation that WSJ first leaked to have been deposited into his personal bank accounts.
After threatening to sue WSJ after the report was published, Najib has not taken any legal action against the US financial daily till today.
Tuan Ibrahim was commenting on several theories he said were being “hotly commented upon”.
He said on the argument that the money was for Umno, then it was questionable why then deputy prime minister and party deputy Muhyiddin Yassin was unaware of it.
“If it is true that it was used for Umno and the general election, then surely Najib would dare to answer Muhyiddin, and Muhyiddin wouldn’t dare question him like that,” he said.
Mystery donor can clear Najib
Another theory that the amount was a donation, he said, remained a “mystery to the people” such that the new Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi daren’t respond to former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s challenge to reveal the identity of the purported donor.
“If the donor is so willing to donate RM2.6 billion to Najib, why isn’t the person willing to (come forward to) clear Najib’s name?
“Is it true then Mahathir’s claim that the money actually belongs to 1MDB?” he asked.
Another speculation, he said, surrounded the dismantling of the special task force set up to probe the 1MDB scandal and the entire chain of related events including the replacement of the attorney-general and investigations into the task force officers.
“If the donation is clean and in line with financial regulations, why did Najib not encourage the investigation to be continued?” he asked, pointing out that Najib has yet to explain the RM42 million that had come from 1MDB’s subsidiary SRC International.
Lastly, he asked if Najib was afraid to answer because it would anger Umno members further if it was ever revealed that those who had benefited from the funds were none other than the account holder himself and his family.
“Without any satisfactory answer, many more speculations about the RM2.6 billion in Najib’s accounts would arise and be hotly discussed,” said Tuan Ibrahim.
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