"C4’s demand for transparency, issued through previous calls and statements, must no longer be ignored, as the more the government attempts to keep a lid on the truth, the more information will be revealed by various parties," executive director Cynthia Gabriel and chairperson Tan Sri Simon Sipaun said in a joint statement today.
"It is thus imperative and absolutely necessary for the auditor-general’s report to be made public urgently, so that the truth can be unravelled once and for all."
This comes as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) yesterday confirmed that it had instructed local Internet service providers to block access to Sarawak Report, saying that the site was disrupting national security.
The commission said that the decision was taken following complaints from the public.
"The contents could be fake. Such contents could affect the peace and cause national instability, disrupt public order and affect economic stability."
The site has not been accessible in Malaysia since yesterday evening but can still be accessed through proxy servers.
C4 said that the move to block Sarawak Report was an "appalling and desperate" act, one that would cause more Malaysians to lose more trust in the government.
"Sarawak Report has been exposing the money trail in 1MDB, revealing scandalous details which are now being pursued by the auditor-general, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the special task force," they said.
"Blocking Sarawak Report will not make the problem go away, as the root of the problem remains unresolved. It is akin to dousing a raging fire from spreading with a bucket of water, as the thirst for the truth, and the right to know where the US$700 million has gone to, in a long twisted money trail, will continue to fester through other forms.
"We also urged Najib and his wife to declare their assets in a previous statement, as a last resort option to regain public confidence. These have fallen on deaf ears, unsurprisingly."
1MDB, a state investment arm established in 2009, sits on a RM42 billion debt and is also tied to allegations that some of its funds were transferred into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's personal accounts.
Najib has denied allegations of corruption and insists that he has not used any money for "personal gain".
Gabriel and Simon said today that instead of clamping down on free speech and freedom of information by blocking access to Sarawak Report, authorities would be better off investigating the connection between 1MDB and businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, and the money trail.
"Only when these questions are answered can the trust deficit be addressed, and confidence in Najib’s administration and our public institution’s be redeemed," they said, referring to questions including whether the money from 1MDB was rerouted out, where the US$700 million was now and what Jho Low's role was in 1MDB.
- TMI
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