YOURSAY | Keep laser focus on LCS, don’t be side-tracked by Latiff’s ‘wife’

LCS scandal: None of my wives named ‘Zainab binti Salleh’ - Latiff

Rafizi misleading with ‘draft’ LCS audit report, minister claims

Kilimanjaro: Is it really about this Zainab or that Zainab?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Abdul Latiff Ahmad would do well to explain this mess that happened under his and former defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's watch instead of veering away into comedial insinuations.

It is not just a mess but daylight robbery and do Malaysians have the time or the stomach to digest this "national embarrassment"

Why was any Zainab given so much leeway into allegedly offering such a huge contract, and how did the alleged siphoning take place using what appears to be deceitful ways?

Now everyone named in the reports wants to wash their hands away, leaving Malaysians exasperated and looking stupid.

At the end of the day, what are we supposed to believe - weren't there any watchdogs to oversee such huge investments or as has been the case usually that even those who were supposed to provide the check and balance were also complicit as partners-in-crime?

What kind of a government can do this and that has no shame and responsibility in protecting people's money that has been entrusted with them?

What do they really discuss during cabinet meetings? Doesn't even one minister have thought of the people whom they are supposed to represent and protect in preventing these heinous robberies?

Shame on you all. Have as many as you want in the cabinet, but at the end of the day, you are all useless.

The lunacy of this all is the direct negotiations trick that now has amply proved that not only it provides a screen for these people to do business to siphon off money away from the glare of the public through gross mismanagement but also get cover hiding behind the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

As more of these skeletons emerge, the OSA is used by these politicians to enrich themselves and escape scrutiny. Who knows, if not for the brief Pakatan Harapan rule, this matter may never have been blown over.

Malaysians cannot and shouldn't be charitable to "crooks" who run their own kingdoms.

OCT: When our kleptocrat PM was confronted with 1MDB, he also denied till kingdom come.

He even swore in a religious house. In court, he denied any wrongdoing.

So, it is no surprise that Latiff is doing the same. There has never been a scandal that the culprit will admit wrongdoing when exposed.

He denied none of his present wives has this name but he is silent upon his own name mentioned in the report.

He knows that the government will not touch him as Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob depends on his party Bersatu to stay in power. The PM and government prefer to keep quiet and hope it will go away.

Apanama is Back: Latiff, I refer to your two-liners denial as follows:

"My wife or wives are not named Zainab binti Salleh.”

“None of my family members is involved in the business of supply and construction of the LCS."

My question is, "How about you?" Are you involved in the business of supply and construction of the littoral combat ships (LCS)? Yes or no?

To clear your name in this LCS scandal, you need to do two things here:

First, declare your first, second and any other wives' names with their identity card numbers.

Secondly, send legal notice to PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli requesting him to apologise to you, withdraw his statement and immediately stop issuing further statements on this issue.

Latiff, if you could do the above two things now, it will be more convincing rather than issuing a half-hearted denial.

GreenCheetah007: The way to put this to bed is for Abdul Latiff and ‘Zainab binti Salleh’ to sue Rafizi for sullying their names and reputation.

Note that the hot topic revolves solely around the word "spouse". Have we all been distracted from the main issue, the contracts and payments to the parties named?

BlueCrab6133: "His (Rafizi’s) lies not only deceive the community but also shake the people’s confidence in the government to the extent of affecting national security," said Latiff.

The community has already been plenty deceived by the shenanigans of our ministers and the people's confidence in the government has been shaken more than a salt-shaker in a French fries shop. Rafizi is not adding anything to this.

The fact of the matter is, people holding high office and paid by the taxpayer must be beyond reproach or controversy. This is something our politicians choose to conveniently ignore. And they twist and turn the moment their name gets identified in a scandal.

Stop making flimsy excuses and submit voluntarily to an investigation. You are wasting everyone's time and money with your schoolboy denials.

Dr Raman Letchumanan: “If Rafizi is truly confident that Zainab Mohd Salleh is my second wife, then show the evidence," said Latiff.

First, we had invisible ships. Now we have invisible, missing or nobody's wife. Why is it so difficult to establish who the husband of Zainab is or whether she is married?

Or is Latiff saying Zainab is not his second wife, but his third wife? In any case, why the numbering of the wife comes into play and is so significant?

Sid Hassan: Shouldn't MACC just come in and call up this 'Zainab Mohd Salleh', who has a personal Facebook page?

Ask her if she is or was Latiff's wife and what she meant when she posted a message to Latiff upon him being appointed his ministership, 'Steady Dato'... Alhamdulillah semua berjalan lancar."

The MACC is normally very good at these things.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.