The 1MDB atomic bomb hit everyone, Kit Siang tells Umno leader

MP SPEAKS It is not just Umno but the whole Malaysian nation which had been hit by the 1MDB scandal like being blasted by an “atomic bomb”, with the crowning ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy”

I do not know whether the police will open an investigation paper under Section 506 of the Penal Code against the Shah Alam Umno chief Zahari Shaari, who lamented this morning that the 1MDB scandal had hit Umno like an “atomic bomb”.

This was what the police did the last time an “atomic bomb” reference made news two months ago during the Kuala Kangsar by-election, when the PKR secretary-general and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said that if the Amanah candidate, nuclear physicist Ahmad Termizi Ramli, was elected in the by-election, Termizi would be asked to hurl an “atomic bomb” at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in Parliament.

Police reports were lodged against Rafizi and even an Umno minister admonished Rafizi for joking about an “atomic bomb”, although eventually nothing came out of the hullabaloo over Rafizi’s “atomic bomb” joke.

But Rafizi was joking while Zahari was deadly serious in comparing the after-effects of the 1MDB scandal to that of a mushrooming “atomic bomb” explosion.

I find some solace that there are people in Umno, even at the divisional level, who have not yet become mere robots as a result of the “Cash is King” politics and have not succumbed fully to the “mind control” of the Umno strategists, but are still capable of exercising clarity and independence of thought.

In fact, during the brouhaha over Rafizi’s “atomic bomb” joke at the Kuala Kangsar by-election, I had identified the 1MDB global scandal as one of the five issues of “atomic bomb proportion” afflicting Malaysia under Najib’s premiership.

It is not just Umno but the whole Malaysian nation which had been hit by the 1MDB scandal like being blasted by an atomic bomb, with the crowning ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a “global kleptocracy” as a result the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits to forfeit over US$1 billion assets in the US, UK and Switzerland as a result of US$3.5 billion criminal embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds.

But the catastrophic after-effects of the 1MDB scandal have not ended with the DOJ action as evident from a greater and further loss of national and international confidence in Malaysian governance, when there was no official proactive response to the DOJ complaint despite the mass of details about the criminal conduct and grand larceny of 1MDB-linked funds involving the highest authority in Malaysia, euphemistically referred to as “Malaysian Official 1”.

This is on top of the latest developments over the class action suit by ex-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's former political secretary, Matthias Chang and former PAS leader Husam Musa in the United States against individuals linked to 1MDB.

Against such a backdrop, three recent developments have made it clear that the storms from the “atomic bomb” explosion of the 1MDB scandal will not recede but will continue to haunt and hound Malaysia in the coming months and even years.

Firstly, the refusal of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to re-open investigations into 1MDB;

Secondly, the announcement by the Bank Negara governor Muhammad Ibrahim that there would be no re-opening of investigations against 1MDB despite the damning 136-page DOJ complaint; and

Thirdly, the statement by the new Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad that his main focus is to ensure a civil service which is clean of corruption, misappropriation and power abuse, completely avoiding what should be the greatest challenge of MACC - to purge and save Malaysia from the international ignominy of a global kleptocracy.

The time has come for every Malaysian to know the meaning of kleptocracy - defined as a rule by a thief or thieves.

Is this Malaysia’s new national destiny - to become a global kleptocracy?

LIM KIT SIANG is the MP for Gelang Patah and DAP parliamentary leader.

Governor: Federal and state govt must work closer to benefit Penangites

Proud moment: Sundarajoo with his wife Datin K. Mahalakshmi showing the DMPN award he received

GEORGE TOWN: Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas wants the relationship between the Federal and state government to be closer and better.

The governor wants it to be good to advance Penangites.

“We have to work towards strengthening peace and harmony, and solve problems as one big family.

“Peace is the catalyst for continuous progress and development of the state, and it is our duty as government and the people to preserve and protect it,” he said in his speech during the first day of the investiture ceremony to mark his 78th birthday at Dewan Sri Pinang yesterday.

He congratulated the state for its effort to raise the standard of living for its people.

“I was told that since 2009, the state allocated more than RM400mil or 12% from its annual budget for welfare purposes and to aid the needy.

“The state also played its role in preserving the environment.

“About 271,000 new trees have been planted since 2008,” he added.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Penang recorded the lowest unemployment rate in Malaysia, which is 1.5%.

“Recently, there were worries and fear following the closing of factories in the state.

“The phenomena happened due to the restructuring of the electronics industry.

“There is still a strong demand to open new factories in the state,” Lim said.

Separately, investPenang director Datuk Seri Lee Kah Choon, who was honoured with the Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri (DGPN) that carries the title Datuk Seri, expressed gratitude to the state for the recognition.

“Penang has become a better place to work, live, play and invest.

“Penang Development Corporat-ion (PDC), Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) and investPenang have strived hard to make Penang a better place,” Lee, who is the director for PDC and PHC, said.

He also thanked his family and friends for their endless support.

Prominent corporate figure Eco World Development Group Bhd chief operating officer Datuk Sundarajoo Somu was delighted to be conferred the Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negeri (DMPN), which carries the title Datuk.

“I have been working with the state government in various bodies such as the Penang Hindu Endowment Board and the Penang Green Council.

“Eco World Foundation has adopted about 3,000 children, and we help them until they complete their tertiary education,” he said.

The Star stringer M. Sivanantha Sharma, who was awarded the Pingat Kelakuan Terpuji (PKT), said he was honoured to receive the award.

He thanked the state government for recognising his contribution to the community.

One hundred and sixty-eight out of 1,223 recipients received their state awards on the first day of the investiture ceremony.

Woman claims son sodomised, wants justice for him

KOTA BARU: A mother of a five-year-old boy, who was allegedly sodomised by an elderly relative, wants justice for her son.

The 29-year-old woman from Peringat here claimed that despite her son singling the suspect out in an identification parade, the case had yet to be concluded.

“My son is never the same after the incident,” she said at her home on Sunday.

The woman said the alleged incident took place on July 20. She said her son came home crying and complained of pain in his anus.

"I then asked him what had taken place and he told me that an elderly relative had an unnatural act with him in some bushes nearby.

"I was extremely shocked and brought him to the Universiti Sains Malaysia hospital in Kubang Kerian for a checkup.

"After an examination, the doctor confirmed there was penetration in my son's anus," she said.

She added the hospital authorities reported the matter to the Welfare Department and the police.

She said her son had identified the suspect in an identification parade after she lodged a police report on July 21.

"I had been anxiously waiting for the case to be closed and for authorities to bring the person to justice although I had received threats from his family members to settle the matter.

"However, the Welfare Department officials told me not to keep the matter a secret and should see this case out," she said.

District police chief Assistant Comm of Police Baharom Abu, when contacted via text message, said the case was still being investigated and that the police had arrested the 62-year-old suspect.

He was remanded for three days.

ACP Baharom said the suspect was allowed police bail owing to his age and physical condition.

He said police were waiting for the full medical report from the hospital before handing the case to the state Deputy Public Prosecutor for follow-up.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 377 of the Penal Code for unnatural carnal intercourse against the order of nature.

It is learnt that the suspect is in Kuala Lumpur.

'Don't claim foreign intervention when you spend stolen money in the US'

By Malaysiakini


Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has blasted attempts to paint the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) move to seize assets acquired using stolen 1MDB funds as foreign intervention in the Malaysia, pointing out the action was due to the perpetrators breaking US law.

"Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his henchmen are thinking of ways to twist the facts to mislead Malaysians. This time, the DOJ is being accused of interfering in Malaysian affairs.

"Why would the US, that appreciates Najib's policies and the friendship between Najib and US president Barack Obama, want to oust Najib?

"They need him to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. If they wanted to oust him, there are many ways, as can be seen in the Middle East.

"The truth is US laws was violated by Najib's family, friends and Malaysian Official 1," he said in a blog posting today.

Mahathir said money laundering is a crime in most countries and similar action is usually taken against those who spend money that was stolen or from drug trafficking in other countries.

"The billions spent by (Najib's step-son) Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz and Jho Low went through US banks, and were used to acquire real estate and artworks in the US, pay gambling debts and for the film production of the obscene (movie) ‘Wolf of Wall Street’.

"The country (US) has the right to take legal action in accordance with its own law, just as Malaysia has the right to take legal action on any foreigner who commit crimes in Malaysia.

"The crimes of foreigners is not exempted from the laws of any country," he said.

Mahathir said after the DOJ's civil action to seize the assets, criminal action was likely to follow.

He added that while these crimes may be covered up in Malaysia, it would not happen overseas.

"If this revelation is influencing the people's opinion toward Najib's government, it is Najib's own fault.

"Why try to spend illegal money in the US?" he said.