Repay RM250 mil and you don't have to quit: Nazri's olive branch to Shahrizats condemned

Nazri Aziz, widely regarded as Prime Minister Najib Razak's spokesman, has given Cabinet colleague Shahrizat Jalil an olive branch loaded with implications - repay a RM250mil government soft loan extended to her family and she won't have to resign.

Even so, it is unlikely that any move other than Shahrizat resigning and the Najib administration carrying out a full-scale probe would satisfy Malaysians. Shahrizat is the Women's minister, whose family is at the centre of a corruption probe into the NFC cattle breeding project.

"We hope this is not Najib's idea of a solution. It will teach young Malaysians it is okay to be corrupt. Cheat, lie and embezzle until you get caught and then repay back the money and you are not only scot-free. You won't even be considered as having done something wrong," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Nazri was reported by Malay daily Sinar Harian as saying it was the best solution to put and end to the ongoing controversy without forcing a resignation from Shahrziat, who is also the Wanita Umno chief.

“She does not have to resign. The main thing is, return the money to the government. But after this, it is better to use open tender to avoid such unwanted incidents,” said Nazri.

Insult to the Malays?

Indeed that Nazri, a seasoned politician and senior Cabinet minister himself, could utter such comments show the depth of depravity in Umno, a party that has been accused of succumbing to the maxim 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'. Umno has ruled Malaysia for 55 years and relies on a brand of racial favoritism and religious bigotry to stay in power.

Those in Shahrizat's camp, which includes Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former premier Abdullah Badawi, who were the ones approved the project to her family in 2006, have been spreading the word that any move to oust Shahrzat as Umno Wanita chief or drop her from the Cabinet was tantamount to insulting the Malay race.

Caught in a Catch-22 of his own making, all eyes are back on Prime Minister Najib, who has tried to avoid coming to any decision on the Shahrizat issue despite growing calls from the public, the opposition and other factions in Umno including former premier Mahathir Mohamad to sack Shahrizat immediately or face greater damage to Umno's credibility.

Within Wanita Umno, moves are already afoot to call for an EGM to pass a no-conifdence move against Shahrizat.

The NFC debacle, given that it involves the inappropriate purchase of super-luxury bungalows in Singapore, has attracted foreign attention. Without realizing it, Umno is confirming to the world how corrupt it is, according to Jui Meng.

"Here they are playing politics and patting themselves on the back at how great they are at intrigue. But the rest of the nation is thoroughly disgusted and the international community caught between disbelief and laughter at the fools Umno is making of itself over what is a clear cut case of corruption that should have been resolved decisively," said Jui Meng.

Wishy-washy

Of the RM250 million soft loan, the Shahrizats have purchased 5 condos, a super-class Mercedes Benz, chalked up huge credit card bills, extended million-ringgit discounts and cash remittances to family-controlled firms.

In the next few weeks, in the Umno style of damage control that Malaysians have become accustomed to, the mainstream media can be expected to downplay the misappropriations by the Shahrizats in a bid to help the party gloss over the incident.

Shahrizat has refused to step down despite an ultimatum extended by Najib and although she is the one on the defensive, he is not expected to pressure her further given his weak hold on the government, and his own wishy-washy characteristics.

Najib too is hounded by scandals galore and is still fighting accusations of having taken a RM570 million kickback from the government's purchase of 2 Scorpene submarines. Shahrizat has said no one is Umno was free of 'problems', a statement that may believe was aimed to tell her Umno colleagues including Najib that she will not hesitate to spill the beans on them if they did not help her.

Malaysia Chronicle