You’ll hurt yourself, Kit Siang tells Najib on 1MDB open debate

DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang claimed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak knew debating the minister of finance would only incriminate himself.

(MMO) – Lim Kit Siang alleged today Datuk Seri Najib Razak had avoided engaging with Lim Guan Eng in an open debate about the scandals at 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

The DAP stalwart claimed the former prime minister knew debating the minister of finance would only incriminate himself, and that he had wanted to save himself by pivoting away.

“Former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib said he does not see any benefit in engaging in a public discourse on the 1MDB,” Lim said in a statement.

“Najib is right for the first time for a long time.

“While it will not only not benefit him at all but will be a great detriment to him to engage in a public discourse with Guan Eng or anyone on the 1MDB scandal, (which is) undoubtedly the greatest global scam in recent times.”

The finance minister on Sunday challenged Najib to explain the RM30 billion worth of funds said to be missing from 1MDB.

It was a response to the latter’s criticism that Guan Eng was spooking the market by issuing public statements about the country’s debt problem.

In response to the minister, Najib said yesterday he had been advised against replying, and that he also saw no benefit in openly engaging with Guan Eng in a debate on the issue.

Lim, however, claimed Najib’s pivot away was intended to save himself.

“Najib’s survival instinct seems to have kicked in as he had been living in a bubble of his own and that of his highly-paid advisers’ creation, completely divorced from reality,” the DAP parliamentary leader said.

Lim also suggested that Najib was in denial, saying he was unaware that the 1MDB scandal could be his “achilles’ heel” because he thought he remained invincible even after Barisan Nasional’s electoral defeat.

The Iskandar Putri MP then said Najib had a distorted sense of reality, and this was shaped by highly-paid consultants and advisers whom themselves are disconnect.

“Najib is unaware that the 1MDB is his Achilles’ heel but his greatest failure in life is to believe in the fairy tales of his highly-funded advisers that it is possible to bamboozle the country about the 1MDB scandal,” Lim said.

Najib is now the subject of an ongoing investigation into the 1MDB scandal and could likely face corruption charges soon.

Last week the former prime minister had his statement recorded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to explain how RM42 million from a 1MDB subsidiary, SRC International, had ended up in his personal account.

Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing.