1MDB scandal could explode on Umno, says Muhyiddin
(The Malaysian Insider) – Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has openly criticised the government’s handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and warned that the issue was so serious that it might explode.
He told reporters following him on a working visit to Milan, Italy, that the debt-ridden 1MDB was the biggest factor that led to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) loss in the Permatang Pauh by-election yesterday.
The Umno deputy president admitted that he was not even able to explain the scandal when campaigning because, “I don’t even know what to say”.
“The rakyat wants to know, not just Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The rakyat wants to know why no one has been charged, why the 1MDB board has not been sacked, and about the position of the CEO and the prime minister as adviser,” said Muhyiddin.
He said the situation was toxic and might have a huge adverse impact not just on the people, but Umno as well.
Dr Mahathir, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, has criticised 1MDB and urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down over the state investment arm’s “vanished funds”.
He had said he would not forgive Najib for the RM42 billion that 1MDB had incurred as debts, and raised concerns over 1MDB’s business deals, including its purchase of several power assets and government-owned land.
