Malaysia’s sovereignty remains intact even with RM2.6b Arab donation, Nazri says

KUALA LUMPUR — The RM 2.6 billion (S$859 million) donation by the Arabs to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s private bank accounts has not compromised Malaysia’s sovereignty because we have nothing to offer countries in the Middle East, a federal minister has said.

Tourism Minister Nazri Aziz denied allegations that the donation meant that Malaysia would be forced to cave in to agendas of Arab leaders, claiming that there was nothing wrong with accepting such amounts of money.

“If at all this is an issue, it is we who should be giving Arabs money, not the other way around,” he told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview.

“This is because we need more quotas for the Hajj pilgrims, we are the ones who need something from the Arabs.

“What do they (Arabs) get from us? They need nothing from us, they don’t need to buy us because they cannot influence us on anything,” the Padang Rengas MP added.

Mr Nazri stressed that as Muslims nations, the only priority between Malaysia and countries in the Middle East is to maintain strong and lasting bilateral ties.

“There is nothing to compromise. We are sunni (Muslims), they are sunni, that is all,” Mr Nazri said.

In the latest revelation on the RM2.6 billion saga, Umno division leader Rizuan Abdul Hamid said recently that the funds found in Mr Najib’s private accounts were donated by an “Arab king and prince”, and that it was meant to be a political donation to be used during Election 2013.

It was previously speculated that the RM2.6 billion had originated from 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a brainchild of the prime minister’s that is currently under probe for alleged financial irregularities.

But the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission recently refuted this, saying the funds had come from donors from the Middle East. The commission did not, however, reveal the identity or identities of the donors.

Global anti-graft watchdog Transparency International (TI) chief Jose Ugaz has warned that Malaysia will not progress in its fight against corruption if questions surrounding the RM2.6 billion that was deposited into PM Najib’s accounts remain unresolved.

Mr Nazri has rubbished the TI chief’s warning, saying that he is free to say whatever he wants about Malaysia because the country practices freedom of speech. MALAY MAIL ONLINE