Najib takes on Dr M before investing audience

The PM’s swipe at Mahathir has invited a stinging comeback full of 1MDB revelations.

COMMENT

By J D Lovrenciear

Prime Minister Najib Razak seemed to feel no shame when he took a public dig at his former boss Mahathir Mohamad today before an audience of international investors.

Najib pointedly said that he did not “feel lonely standing here today” as he addressed the Invest Malaysia 2015 forum, held at the Mandarin Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

He was referring to a recent blog post by Mahathir, in which the former premier wrote that he was alone in speaking up for the country and demanding answers from Najib.

Najib’s behaviour at the event was not only in poor taste, it was foolhardy to say the least.

Mahathir has now — with bullet-train speed — lashed back with detailed arithmetics on 1MDB, clearly explained for the layperson to comprehend with ease.

Writing in his highly popular Chedet blog, he spills the beans so that top authorities like the MACC and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) cannot possibly plead ignorance.

The details Tun has carved out about the missing money and how land was bought at the expense of the government’s well being, also show Najib’s men in a dim light.

How on earth could they have thrown their weight behind him, apparently not knowing what every citizen can now appreciate in full detail?

The Tun presents his case brilliantly in a mere 29 paragraphs.

How can a company with just RM1 million in capital — and no assets — borrow 42,000 times that amount without collateral?

Were they using a loan shark?

The details are alarming: 1MDB borrowings and the management fees paid to Goldman Sachs are eating greedily into national coffers.

So how can Najib’s men still plead for more time for the prime minister?

How could they in the first place even hoist him on their shoulders when the Tun has clearly shown the frightening forecast if this situation continues?

This is no longer an Opposition agenda. It is a national crisis.

J D Lovrenciear is an FMT reader