Kit Siang advises Umno on how to choose its leaders
(MMO) – Facing the consequences of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal should be the test for candidates in the Umno election, DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said today.
The Iskandar Puteri MP said never before in the history of Umno were there so many elephants in the room ignored by party leaders.
“The 1MDB elephant has continued to grow in size since Umno/BN (Barisan Nasional) was evicted from Putrajaya in the 14th general election on May 9 and the Umno assemblies this week will be doing Umno and the nation the greatest disservice if the charade to ignore the 1MDB elephant is continued,” he said.
In a statement released today, the DAP veteran leader said the charade cannot go on, especially after the revelation by one of the Big Four auditors in Malaysia, KPMG, that the accounts of 1MDB cannot be relied on from the time of its inception in 2009.
“In fact, the preparedness to face up to the terrible consequences of the 1MDB scandal, which had already made Malaysia a global kleptocracy in the past few years, should be the acid test as to whether a candidate qualifies to be a contender for the various Umno posts in the next three years,” he added.
Lim also took a swipe at Umno deputy president contender Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who said the 1MDB probe had nothing to do with Umno and there was no reason for the party to be alarmed.
“Would Annuar similarly declare that his MARA corruption case, which is still being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, has nothing to do with Umno and there was no reason for Umno to be alarmed?” questioned Lim.
Lim said Annuar either had very short memory, selective memory or he was not a person who could be trusted with truth and facts.
“Didn’t 1MDB CEO, Arul Kanda Kandasamy, probably the highest-paid head of a government company in Malaysian history, go on an Umno/BN-sponsored “Tanya Tanya” roadshow covering some 30 locations during the 14th general elections to mislead Malaysians about the 1MDB scandal?
“Now, after the Umno/BN electoral disaster, even (former prime minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) is claiming ignorance about the criminality, corruption and the moral turpitude in the 1MDB scandal.”
“It is sad to see the former prime minister trying his utmost to extricate himself from the Reuters interview and equivocate as to whether he had blamed the 1MDB board and management for the financial scandal or not.”
Lim added it was clear that everybody who was linked to the 1MDB scandal were busy disclaiming responsibilities for the “kleptocracy at its worst” after the change of government.
“A contender for Umno president Khairy Jamaluddin issued a mea culpa early this month in an interview with the South China Morning Post that the 1MDB scandal was the cause of Umno/BN’s “catastrophic” downfall in the 14th General Election.”
“Three days ago, he returned to this theme and stressed that Umno lost in the 14th general elections as the party was plagued with scandals among the top leadership.”
Accounting firm KPMG Malaysia said yesterday its audit reports on 1MDB for financial years 2010 to 2012 were unreliable.
The firm said its decision was made after reviewing the declassified auditor-general’s report on 1MDB and previous documents that were previously withheld by 1MDB’s management.
