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No News Is Bad News
Birds of the same feather, you scratch my back, and I scratch yours?
Has Anwar forgotten his prison time and what PKR and PH were fighting for in politics and for his freedom?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJQdJfRtl6Y (Sorry's not enough, says PKR Youth over Najib's 1MDB apology)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN33waP3tp0&t=12s (Should Malaysians accept or REJECT Najib's apology on the 1MDB?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fStS-ONZVjE (#KiniNews: Anwar pans critics over Najib 1MDB apology row; Latheefa responds to Anwar)
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28, 2024: The thousands of Malaysians who blasted Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister (PMX) Anwar Ibrahim for accepting Najib “1MDB” Razak’s apology for the costly 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) financial scandal has incurred the wrath of the PMX.
Anwar Ibrahim angrily defended his statement welcoming an apology from Malaysia’s “international” kleptocrat, saying it is not fair to attack the jailed leader alone over the 1MDB scandal that was at the centre of a Pakatan Harapan (PH) campaign to topple the Barisan Nasional government six years ago.
Anwar said his response to Najib's apology last week - in which the former prime minister stopped short of admitting guilt over the billions of dollars in illegal transfers that triggered one of the biggest corruption scandals in recent years - was done in a responsible manner as the leader of the country.
"I am the prime minister, I am the father of the nation," he said during a speech in Perak yesterday.
"This man said something, what do you want me to do? I said we welcome it.
"Oh, (they become) angry! What's this! What kind of behaviour is this? What kind of people?" said Anwar.
Now, let us rebutt Anwar’s support for the country’s national theif who caused Malaysians and Malaysia to lose billions of ringgit:
> not fair to attack the jailed leader alone over the 1MDB scandal that was at the centre of a Pakatan Harapan (PH) campaign to topple the Barisan Nasional government six years ago - Not fair? Whatever happened to responsibility and accountability? Wasn’t the jailbird the prime minister and the boss for 1MDB?
> "I am the prime minister, I am the father of the nation," - Please don’t make insult the inteliigence of Malaysians! The father of Malaysia is Bapa Malaysia (Father of Malaysia), Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s First Prime Minister after his hard-fought battle with the colonist British for Merdeka (Independence) in 1957.
> "Oh, (they become) angry! What's this! What kind of behaviour is this? What kind of people?" said Anwar - Behaviour of law-abiding citizens who respect the law and the Constitution! Sane people who have zero tolerance of thieves and criminals.
If the PMX really wants to know what response was expected of him, then the best advice is “just keep your mouth shut if you cannot condemn the convicted kleptocrat”.
It sure looks like Anwar has forgotten what it was like when he was in prsion and his PKR and Pakatan Harapan (PH) were fighting for in politics - justice and anti-corruption.
No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on the PMX’s angery response to criticisms of the rakyat (people):
'I'm father of the nation': Anwar defends remarks on Najib apology
It comes as social media users attack the prime minister for 'welcoming' the jailed leader's apology over the 1MDB scandal.
October 28, 2024 9:19 AM
Anwar Ibrahim says he is the 'father of the nation'.
Anwar Ibrahim has angrily defended his statement welcoming an apology from Najib Razak, saying it is not fair to attack the jailed leader alone over the 1MDB scandal that was at the centre of a Pakatan Harapan (PH) campaign to topple the Barisan Nasional government six years ago.
Anwar said his response to Najib's apology last week - in which the former prime minister stopped short of admitting guilt over the billions of dollars in illegal transfers that triggered one of the biggest corruption scandals in recent years - was done in a responsible manner as the leader of the country.
"I am the prime minister, I am the father of the nation," he said during a speech in Perak yesterday.
"This man said something, what do you want me to do? I said we welcome it.
"Oh, (they become) angry! What's this! What kind of behaviour is this? What kind of people?" said Anwar.
On Oct 24, Najib in a rare apology read out by his eldest son Nizar said he took responsibility for the scandal taking place under his watch as prime minister and finance minister.
Najib, however, maintained his innocence regarding the large-scale money transfers from 1MDB.
"To be held legally responsible for something that I did not initiate or have knowledge of, is unfair to me, and I hope and pray that the judicial process will be in my favour and prove my innocence," his statement said.
It came ahead of a court ruling this week on whether he should defend himself in another case related to 1MDB for money laundering and corruption.
Anwar is under pressure from Najib loyalists, family members and Umno - the party whose support was crucial in helping him realise his ambitions to become prime minister in 2022 - to release the former leader by recommending a full royal pardon, similar to the one granted to Anwar himself in 2018 on the recommendation of then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
However, Najib, who is serving a 12-year jail term for embezzling RM42 million of SRC International funds, was only granted a partial pardon in the form of a reduction of his sentence from 12 years to six years and his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million.
Many Umno leaders were also angered by the revelation that there was an addendum to the partial pardon in which former Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, had ordered Najib to serve the reduced sentence under house arrest.
Najib is currently appealing against the High Court's decision in July, which dismissed the claim on the existence of a royal addendum as "hearsay".
Anwar yesterday launched his familiar attack on those who criticised him for welcoming Najib's apology, accusing them of ignoring others who had "stolen billions of ringgit"
"When (they) attack, they are only attacking one person.
"It's not fair to attack (only) one person. The ones who attack have robbed more than that," Anwar said.
Anwar was criticised by, among others, the former chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the body at the centre of investigations that led to Najib's conviction and imprisonment in 2022.
Latheefa Koya took the prime minister to task, saying he "has no business and no authority" to make such a comment.
"Since Najib maintains innocence, Anwar’s acceptance condones the crime. It emboldens the corrupt, makes a mockery of the courts, undermines the MACC.
"Is this the prelude to releasing Najib on house arrest?" she asked.
Lawyer Rafique Rashid echoed her sentiments, saying Anwar, as prime minister, should side with the millions of Malaysians who are angry over the 1MDB scandal which has eaten up the state coffers and led to a series of new taxes being imposed on the people.
"Everyone has the right to berate Najib Razak and everyone also has the right to tell the government not to accept the apology.
"How can the prime minister say within 24 hours, 'Yes, we welcome it'? This is very unwise coming from the prime minister," Rafique told MalaysiaNow.
Najib's apology and Anwar's remarks have sparked a flood of comments on social media, especially from PH supporters.
"If his apology is accepted and can be forgiven, we can accept and forgive every convict in the country and release all prisoners," wrote Alfred Adaikalaraj.
"It is nothing more than another brazen attempt to hoodwink Malaysians once again. Shorn of all his self-righteous excuses, he remains unrepentant!" said Ch'ng Kim Hock.
"Your statement shows that you don't have the competence to lead the country to the extent of falling for the scam of an ordinary citizen and foreign firms. I hope you will not make a comeback as prime minister again," said Muhammad Hazim.
Comment by Sarawak Report 25th October 2024
Don’t apply to be a bus driver if you can’t drive a bus.
In fact, Najib was fully qualified for his role having studied economics, been finance minister for many years and spent a lifelong career in politics.
He knew how government and institutions work and he therefore knew exactly what he was doing when he introduced a special clause into the articles of 1MDB that put him personally in charge of very single financial decision made by that fund. This article (Article 117 of 1MDB’s memorandum and articles) did not apply to any other fund managed under the Ministry of Finance.
His initial row with Terengganu spelt out exactly the significance of that over-riding authority that had given him the ability to instruct the management to raise RM5 billion despite the objections of the TIA board.
Again, in September 2009, he over-rode the objections of the 1MDB board when he later instructed management to send all that money into the clutches of Jho Low and his fellow conspirators at PetroSaudi, with whom he had had a cosy personal meeting on a yacht in the Med just the month before. No management present and no board.
Najib knew what he was doing when he dispensed with all the checks and balances to give himself full control over 1MDB – he knew how institutions ought to work to prevent mistakes and had dismantled the normal process. When the Chairman of the 1MDB board resigned in protest Najib wilfully replaced him with a close political ally, Lodin Wok Kamaruddin.
He was to use the self-same authority to override the concerns of the Central Bank and 1MDB’s own bank and indeed 1MDB’s lawyers and 1MDB’s accountants who were all questioning the red flags in this deal both at the start and over years to come.
Instead of taking heed and allowing them to do their professional due diligence he employed his power and self-enhanced authority over the fund to push through these deals that he said he didn’t realise were flawed. Yet, right back in 2009 when the first $700 million was stolen from 1MDB, the chairman of the board, Bakke Salleh texted Najib to warn him what had happened. When Najib failed to reply Bakke Salleh resigned having concluded Najib was in the loop.
Najib knew what the procedures ought to be to protect the public finances he was entrusted with and he got rid of them for 1MDB. He ignored warnings from key people. The money that then disappeared ended up in his account. Yet he says he is innocent and the people he employed are responsible.
If you take all the power then you must shoulder all the responsibility.
DAP leader's sarcasm
Former DAP MP Tony Pua, who together with PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli were among the most vocal PH leaders to speak out against Najib during the height of the 1MDB scandal, wrote a post full of sarcasm over the former premier's insistence that he was innocent despite his apology.
Rafizi Ramli and Tony Pua, among PH leaders who crisscrossed the country to explain the 1MDB scandal.
"I'm not responsible for sacking my deputy PM to cover up 1MDB," said Pua, referring to the dismissal of Muhyiddin Yassin, who had demanded an explanation from Najib shortly after the scandal came to light.
"I'm not responsible for sacking the attorney-general to cover up 1MDB. I'm not responsible for sacking the MACC chief and Special Branch chief to cover up 1MDB. I'm not responsible for installing a stooge as the PAC chairman to cover up 1MDB.
"I'm not responsible for US$27 million 22-carat pink diamond my beautiful wife purchased (and many more millions in jewelry and luxury goods). (Where is it hidden by the way?)" Pua wrote on Facebook, referring to the jewellery that Najib had claimed was a gift from a UAE prince to his wife Rosmah Mansor.
Pua continued:
"I'm not responsible for issuing secret RM3 billion government guarantee letter to raise bonds for 1MDB. I'm not responsible for paying extortionary fees to Goldman Sachs to raise bonds for 1MDB.
"I'm not responsible for negotiating a lopsided super over-priced deals with Chinese companies to cover up 1MDB debts.
"I'm not responsible for going after and persecuting 1MDB whistle-blowers to cover up 1MDB," he said, referring to efforts to thwart the 1MDB investigation.
"I have already paid my political price. Its not fair for me to legally responsible for any of the above. I just have to say I'm sorry for being the stupidest and slowest PM of Malaysia, for trusting the wrong parties who cheated Malaysians of tens of billions of ringgit.
"I should not be sitting in prison, even though I benefited immensely from the 1MDB largesse, in cash and in kind. It's not my fault. Really."
Meanwhile, a portal run by British journalist Claire Rewcastle Brown, who was also actively reporting the 1MDB revelations, criticised Anwar's remarks.
"That is not an apology, it is merely another denial. Anwar ought not to have accepted it for that reason and nor should the courts who are supposed to be independent," it said.
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