Umno lawmaker adds royal twist to 'MO1' saga

An Umno lawmaker Nawawi Ahmad added a royal twist to the saga surrounding Malaysian Official 1, who was mentioned in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) civil suits related to alleged abuse of 1MDB funds.

In a Facebook posting, which was edited four hours later, the Langkawi MP said based on the Federal Constitution, it is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who is responsible for the government.

"According to the Federal Constitution, Malaysia's government was formed with three separate and independent entities, the judiciary headed by the chief justice, the legislative led by the parliament speaker, and the executive directed by the prime minister.

"All three entities are responsible to the Agong.

"Hence, according to the constitution, MO1 is the Agong," he explained.

In the edited version, the last line in the posting was replaced with the sentence, "Hence, according to the constitution (Prime Minister) Najib (Abdul Razak) is not MO1, as he is either M02, M03, or MO4."

In his comments later, Nawawi said that he was not talking about MO1 in the context of the DOJ lawsuit, but rather in terms of the constitution.

Malaysiakini has contacted Nawawi to get an explanation as to why he edited the comment.

MO1, according to the DOJ, is a high-ranking public officer whom it claimed received US$731 million of siphoned 1MDB funds.

The DOJ also said that MO1 is a relative of Najib's stepson Riza Aziz.

Umno supreme council member Abdul Rahman Dahlan has said that only an idiot would not know who MO1 is, while the opposition has pointed the finger at Najib.

Najib, however, has denied allegations of misusing public funds, and claims such accusations are part of a plot to topple him.

Nawawi's remarks have caused a stir, with former Langkawi Wanita Umno member Anina Saadudin saying it was an insult to the Agong, who is currently Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah.

"MO1 is a criminal, don't link him to our ruler... Nawawi has insulted the Kedah royal institution.

"I urge him to apologise to His Majesty and the rakyat. If he doesn't, the public can apply pressure so that all the titles bestowed upon him by the Kedah royalty is retracted," she said in a statement.

Dr M vows new party will restore democracy, rule of law

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad vowed that his new political party will restore democracy and rule of law which has been denied and abused by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The pro tem chairperson of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) said this when he explained the need for a new party in his latest blog posting today.

Mahathir said he was surprised that people have been asking why Bersatu was formed.

He said the new party can revive the country's glory of the past.

Mahathir, who led the country for 22 years, said he had studied the fate of parties which won independence in other countries.

“Most of them have disappeared. They have lost to new parties formed after independence because invariably they forgot the purpose for which the parties were formed, and abused the power accorded to them for personal gains.

“Umno had lasted much longer. But under Najib it forgot completely the purpose for which it was formed. Najib has brought shame to this once admired country. The whole world looks down upon Najib for being the worst finance minister of Malaysia and for all kinds of wrongdoings perpetrated by him,” he said.

The former premier said that only a new party can revive the country's glory.

While the sophisticated and highly educated urban people may believe that racial politics is not in keeping with the times, Mahathir thinks the situation on the ground is different.

“For the rural people who are largely poor, race is not only important but they believe is essential for their well-being. Umno’s popularity is because it is a racial party.

“If the new party is to compete with Umno, it must give the people in the rural constituencies and the unsophisticated urban constituencies the kind of comfort associated with Umno’s kind of racism,” he said.