Centralised power, weak institutions allowed 1MDB to happen, says Sarawak Report editor

A screengrab of the Sarawak Report website, which has been actively exposing the contents of emails and other documents related to 1MDB transactions. – March 15, 2015.Over-concentration of power in Malaysia, weak public institutions, the muzzled mainstream media and lack of transparency had allowed businessman Low Taek Jho to allegedly siphon billions of ringgit from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Clare Rewcastle Brown said today.

The editor of whistleblower site, Sarawak Report, told a forum today that all these factors had prevented anyone from revealing more info on Jho Low, as he is better known, and his 1MDB dealings earlier on, despite the fact that he was just a "30-something businessman".

"In a more open, strong, check-and-balance set up, he would have been flushed out, sorted and put in his place a long time previously," said Rewcastle Brown, as she addressed the 1,000-plus audience at the Crystal Crown Hotel, in Petaling Jaya today, via an online video conference on Skype.

But in Malaysia, power was too concentrated, she said, pointing to the fact that Najib controlled two of the most important portfolios in the government.

"The checks and balances are eroded to the extent that the prime minister is the finance minister.

"I mean, why do you think there are two positions? Why is it a good idea that the same person should occupy both?" said Rewcastle Brown at the forum titled "1MDB: The Ultimate LOW down".

She added that there was also a lack of robustness in Malaysia's institutions, despite the huge pool of talent and manpower the country has.

"The other thing that struck me is the lack of transparency. Politicians like Tony Pua, Rafizi Ramli and Umno's Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have asked valid questions and those answers should be available in public paperwork."

Instead, she said, the questions remained unanswered and anyone who digs deeper were treated as traitors.

Referring to the mainstream media in Malaysia, she said that the "muzzled media" was overly obedient and Malaysians could only rely on blogs and online news portals to objectively discuss politicians' actions, added Rewcastle Brown.

"There seems to be an attitude that a strong government is a good thing, and that's why you have over-concentration of power and weak institutions.

"But I think it's a recipe for disaster. And that's what 1MDB is, a very big disaster for Malaysia," said Rewcastle Brown.

She said it would take just a "half-decent investigation" by authorities to discover 1MDB's financial irregularities and Low's role in it, adding that she had had her eye on the company since 2010.

"I picked up the story by asking a lot of questions and I obtained a lot of sources that allowed me to shed more light on what had happened," she said.

Rewcastle Brown's Sarawak Report released a series of hard-hitting exposés in recent weeks on 1MDB, including its 2009 joint venture with PetroSaudi International and its alleged links to Low.

Sarawak Report claimed that Low had used PetroSaudi as a front to siphon off US$700 million from 1MDB.

It also alleged that Low had engineered the joint-venture between both companies, which resulted in 1MDB repaying a loan to PetroSaudi. But the funds allegedly went to a company controlled by Low, called Good Star Limited.

Low, PetroSaudi and 1MDB have since publically denied they had committed any wrongdoing, while the Cabinet on March 4 cleared 1MDB, saying the allegations only concerned external parties and not the government's strategic investment vehicle.

However, after much pressure, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that the Auditor-General will be directed to conduct an independent audit of 1MDB's accounts. The report will then be passed to the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for any further action.

Najib has vowed action against any wrongdoing if found.

- TMI