KUALA LUMPUR – Following accusations that he “confused” the Dewan Rakyat, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (Pekan-BN) has been given until Wednesday to clarify the allegedly misleading statements he made in the lower House on March 2.
This was said by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun in response to R.S.N. Rayer (Jelutong-PH) who asked the former in Parliament today about a letter submitted by Tony Pua (Damansara-PH) against Najib on March 3 under Standing Order 36(12).
“I have already written to the Pekan MP and the Finance Ministry to ask them to explain what was said in the Dewan earlier and I am waiting for an answer now,” he said, adding that he had asked Najib to provide his defence by Wednesday, March 9.
“Whether or not he will be able to provide his explanation then, I don’t know,” Azhar said.
Unimpressed with the speaker’s answer, Rayer pointed out that a final say on the matter should be decided as soon as possible, especially as Johoreans, who will be heading to the polls on March 12, are looking for answers about the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) debacle.
“The people (in Johor) want to know what actually happened with 1MDB. The Dewan also heard the debate from former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (Pagoh-Bersatu) which to some extent unravelled the truth of the matter,” he said.
Muhyiddin had said it is fortunate that Barisan Nasional (BN) lost in the last general election, suggesting that the situation involving one of the world’s greatest financial scandals would not have been resolved had Najib remained in power.
In response, Azhar merely reiterated that he had done his part and will be adhering to his way of handling situations.
“I will try but that is my common practice, I must ask for an explanation first.”
Besides demanding that Najib be referred to Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee, Pua had highlighted several statements made by Najib regarding the 1MDB scandal, adding that his assertions were confusing and insulting.
Lim Guan Eng (Bagan-PH) also said that Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s statement – that Najib’s claim that the government has not paid a single sen of 1MDB’s principal debt is baseless – further proves that the Pekan MP has misled the House.
In his debate on March 2, Najib said the government has not been using public funds to repay the principal amount as various other entities have already returned 1MDB-related funds totalling RM23 billion to Malaysia.
“In 2018, the 1MDB debt stood at RM32 billion, and it remained the same from 2019 to 2021,” he said. – The Vibes, March 7, 2022
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