The elephant is now in the room, and calling out for his friends to join him
Umar Mukhtar
In the United States of America in the ’70s, a ‘third-rate’ burglary at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee led to the ousting of a sitting Republican president. Watergate, as the whole episode became known, was a burglary conducted by the President’s men to try to dig up dirt on the opposite camp. It was foiled by a security guard of the building.
No, actually the burglary in itself didn’t cause President Richard Nixon to be compelled to resign. The U.S. wasn’t going to be destroyed by such a ‘third-rate’ burglary, although such a break-in can be symptomatic of a sick and dangerous mind.
It was the subsequent clumsy attempts to cover it up by a government in power that did him in. Americans were dismayed by the display of dishonesty and the lack of respect for the intelligence of the people. Any power, however mighty, cannot overcome the truth. A wise man once said that only truth is consistent.
We never learn, do we?
The 1MDB scandal is definitely not third-rate. In fact it is among the foremost of world rip-offs ever, even if we are only to take into account just the now uncovered apparent fraud of USD3.5 billion being engineered to be paid by 1MDB into a bogus British Virgin Island company’s bank account.
Forget the rest of the allegations for the time being. This could be just a tip of the iceberg, yes I know, but let’s play fair. They will come out, if true. As I always say, God operates in mysterious ways.
No solid events have undeniably emerged, or the truth may have been suppressed by the powers that be, about the other allegations. This hypothesis is just to show that a cover-up has already occurred, no matter how big the other possible frauds.
The Malays have a saying, ‘kalau tak ada angin, masakan pokok bergoyang’. In English, the tree branch would not be shaking if there was no wind. That may not be enough to oust a prime minister but it is a sure sign of things to come.
Consider this: when signs that some things were wrong with 1MDB were first mooted in 2014, the government, which is entrusted to safeguard the country’s wealth, simply brushed them off as opposition parties’ propaganda. No known efforts were made to at least unearth the truth so that it could be proven that it was propaganda.
How embarrassing it would have been for the liars if that was done. But nothing was done. Aha, maybe the truth did become known then. They covered it up!
I know, I’m trying to be as kind as I can because the worse scenario is that, instead of being an innocent victim of a fraud, they had always known of the transgression because they were in cahoots.
Public audited accounts were referred to as if they were the only God-sent proof needed by us stakeholders. If that is true, there would not have been the ‘Enrons’ of the world. Worse than that, the whistle-blowers were condemned as pariah-mongers of cheap publicity.
I will not go into who said what and when. It’s been repeated too many times that I risk boring you. Suffice to say that a whole herd of know-alls, from the lofty prime minister to the lowly parroting morons, stood by 1MDB as if it could do no wrong.
What are they saying now? A most friendly government of the Middle East who had even saved our asses so many times over 1MDB silliness are saying officially that they have not been paid. Surely not a trumped-up accusation from a friend?
When 1MDB was criticised by Tony Pua that their short-term solution to the then cash flow deficit might incur government liability, he was chastised by the new CEO, who was the architect of the solution, that that criticism was unfair and unthinkable. How cocky!
What is he saying today as the fraud is being unravelled, and our government is closer to forking out money which we can’t afford so as to avoid cross-defaults of 1MDB billions of dollars of loans?
Or has it been decided that 1MDB will not pay the defaulting interests because of some misplaced egoistic reasons? The financial integrity of the nation is at risk. Has the Attorney-General been consulted? Who will decide?
The adviser to 1MDB may not be expected to be aware of everything but certain sections of 1MDB’s Articles of Association gives him the power to override the Board of Directors. Did the former CEO brush aside the Board umpteen times because he was instructed by higher-ups? If not, Shahrol Asshole deserves to face the firing squad.
A lowly hired hand capable of multi-billion dollar frauds? This bumiputra executive is setting new standards of corporate thinking for aspiring MARA scholars! Or maybe he might talk and spill the truth, God knows.
Lest I am lumped as one of the anti-Najib crowd, let me say that for some perverted and convoluted reason I may not mind Najib continuing as PM until PRU14, especially after looking at the choices we have available, and that I think that Dr Mahathir is a bigger asshole in spite of his bitching about being bullied unfairly.
But it is not about that. It is about whether 1MDB was screwed or not. If it was, say so. Whose eyes were not on the ball? To me from what I now know, please admit that fact first, before we go into the ‘ketuanan Melayu’ shit and what not. Do not be in denial.
Don’t dig another hole to cover the original hole in a cover-up. How long will this go on? ‘Macam nak menegakkan benang yang basah.’ Or trying to make a wet thread stand upright and straight. In the end, like Watergate, it’s the cover-up that will be the nail in the coffin.
I had never made unfair deductions or accusations against the PM. I do not know enough to do that. I wait for actual events to surface and I think. But all said, to me, the buck must stop somewhere. Let’s not allow a hired help take the rap. Be a man.
