Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Want to protect national security? Don’t censor the net and make PM speak, Putrajaya told

KUALA LUMPUR — To protect national security and national interest, Prime Minister Najib Razak must answer to the allegations against him in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal instead of issuing directives aimed at silencing his accusers, People's Justice Party (PKR) said.

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah said Malaysia’s future should not be gambled away by one person or one party for personal gain or survival. Photo: The Malay Mail Online

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah said Malaysia’s future should not be gambled away by one person or one party for personal gain or survival. Photo: The Malay Mail Online

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

KUALA LUMPUR — To protect national security and national interest, Prime Minister Najib Razak must answer to the allegations against him in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal instead of issuing directives aimed at silencing his accusers, People's Justice Party (PKR) said.

In a statement, party vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar pointed out that the government cites “national security” as an excuse for every decision it makes, the latest being the block on Sarawak Report (SR).

The federal lawmaker disagreed, however, that it was in national interest to block the whistle-blower site, saying instead that the whereabouts of 1MDB’s funds should be made the government’s priority.

“National security calls for an answer as to how the Prime Minister can gain personal access to such an amount,” she said, referring to recent allegations tying Mr Najib’s personal accounts to US$700 million (S$960 million) in 1MDB money.

“National security mandates protection of national funds from excesses made by errant and irresponsible investments — no matter if government supported or led.

“Heads should roll in the event persons are responsible for abusing public monies — no matter how high up their office may be,” she added.

Ms Nurul Izzah also said that it was in national interest to protect the media and whistle-blowers against the “selfish individual interests” of those in power.

Malaysia’s future, she added, should not be gambled away by one person or one party for personal gain or survival.

Ms Nurul Izzah noted that since the expose on Mr Najib’s accounts, which was published by international business newspaper the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on July 2, the prime minister has yet to issue a direct denial.

All that the government has done so far, she noted, is to block access to SR, whose exposes on 1MDB echoes document cited on WSJ as well as local daily The Edge Financial Daily.

The local business newspaper has since received a show-cause letter from the Home Ministry and Mr Najib’s lawyers have given WSJ a 14-day deadline to clarify its report. The deadline ends tomorrow.

“The trinity of evidence unearthed begs a clear explanation by the PM. But short of his clarification seeking from the WSJ — Malaysians are faced with total silence by the number one man in the country.

“Why hasn’t the Prime Minister sued the WSJ, if the facts reported by the media outlet is false?” she asked.

Citing “national stability”, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on Sunday (July 19) confirmed that it ordered all Internet service providers in Malaysia to block access to SR’s website, pending a multi-agency taskforce’s investigation into 1MDB.

Apart from the special taskforce, several other authorities are also conducting independent probes on the trouble state investor that is up to its knees in debt.

Last month, the Auditor-General submitted its interim report on 1MDB to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Ms Nurul Izzah said the report has yet to be made public and urged for it today, saying this would be necessary to help the government move towards closing the chapter on the scandal once and for all. THE MALAY MAIL ONLINE

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.