Selangor MB commends Rulers for 1MDB concern, demands transparent probe for nation’s economy and security

(Malay Mail Online) – Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali lauded the Conference of Rulers today for their firm stand calling for a speedy end to the controversies surrounding Putrajaya-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The PKR leader said the Rulers’ statement yesterday was “timely” and provided a “guiding light” to “all those who hold executive power”, taking into account the country’s current security and economic situation that is already being shaken by global changes.

“That failure to resolve the 1MDB matter would continue to negatively impact the country’s financial market and economic climate and at the same time, adversely affect the world’s view of Malaysia,” he said in a statement.

“This could also threaten public order and national security,” he added.

Azmin also praised the Rulers’ call for enforcement agencies and the judiciary to be transparent in order to be worthy of “God’s trust and the people’s faith.”

The PKR deputy president reminded the public to heed the Ruler’s remarks and not politicise the royal statement “in order to gain advantage”.

“We are of the view that not just the leaders but the entire nation should welcome and take seriously the concerns and views expressed in the statement.

“Without doubt, each and every matter expressed therein resonates with the people in as much as they share with the same degree of care and concern the issues raised by the Rulers,” he said.  

The Conference of Malay Rulers yesterday directed Putrajaya to ensure that 1MDB was thoroughly investigated and for those found guilty of wrongdoing to be punished.

In a statement issued by the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Datuk Seri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, the sultans also said that investigations must be made public in order to show that nothing was being hidden in the probe on the state-owned investment firm.

This is the first time the Conference of Malay Rulers has openly commented on the 1MDB controversy that has gained international attention.

Improper handling of the 1MDB controversy and related investigations could also affect the economy and even threaten national security, the rulers said.

In March, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak directed the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor-General to investigate 1MDB following allegations of mismanagement and impropriety linked to its RM42 billion in debt.

It was later announced that a special taskforce comprising the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Royal Malaysia Police, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was also investigating the firm.

All the probes were later discontinued or postponed, however, following a shakeup in Putrajaya, the removal of Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail as Attorney-General, and the transfers of investigators who were involved in the probe.

Although investigations in Malaysia appear to be stalled, investigators in other countries have since initiated their own probes into 1MDB and related entities, notably in the US, the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore.