Give us the truth and you’ll be free

The blocking of access to TMI has only deepened the people's distrust of the government.

COMMENT

As soon as The Malaysian Insider went dark on Thursday night, questions began to fly over an article claiming that an unnamed member of MACC’s Operations Review Panel (ORP) had told the portal there was enough proof to charge Prime Minister Najib Razak for wrongdoing in the SRC affair.

Malaysians, one by one, became aware of the ban and the contents of the article. In no time at all, the story sank deep into the public consciousness and it has made us wonder anew whether we will ever know the truth

The article has become the centre of a maelstrom, with TMI editor Jahabar Sadiq questioned by the police. The Inspector-General of the Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, told FMT that in light of a press release signed by two members of the ORP denying TMI’s claims, the article has “confused the public.” Opposition leaders have denounced the ban as an over-reaction, and Najib’s Cabinet men have defended it as an action that is very much warranted.

And yes, we, the public, continue to be confused.

There is no point in parsing through the what ifs and the maybes any more in this conversation. Across the media, politicians and interested parties are chiming in on the issue, all intent on pushing their agendas to the fore. We heard all the arguments. In fact, we’ve been hearing them all since the last days of July 2015, when ministers were sacked, when anti-corruption officials resisted transfers and when activists gathered in racial protests. And we’ve heard not whispers but clear statements from investigative squads all over the world that something is dreadfully wrong with 1MDB.

The politicians can argue and hem and haw about the rightness or wrongness of the ban, but there is one issue that we all can agree on: it is high time to stop with the conflicting messages.

It is time for the the truth. As the Attorney-General has declared the case closed on 1MDB, SRC, and the 2.6 billion donation in accordance with evidence found in MACC’s report, it is time this confidence is shared with the public.

Clear Najib’s name with the clear, unredacted, uncensored truth, and all this division, all this acrimony between people and government can end.

These issues have plagued us for nearly a year now with no sign of letting up. The truth is that all the people want. In denying them the truth, you only deepen their distrust.