ABC 4 CORNERS A DISAPPOINTMENT

Gopal Raj Kumar

With Claire Rewcastle Brown, a person most Australians have never heard of except for tonite’s ABC 4 Corners programme, underwriting the narrative to the allegations of corruption in Malaysia featuring the alleged sins of Najib Razak Malaysia’s prime minister, tonites programme disappointed most viewers for its rehash of old stories running wild since 2008. They included:

1. Death of Kevin Morais (somehow linked to Najib)
2. Altantuya Sharibu (Najib did it)
3. 1MDB losses (Najib stole it)
4. 2 Billion in Najib’s account ( from some improper activities according to Mahathir)
5. Submarine kickbacks (Najib of course)
6. Balasubramaniams death and the events that preceded it (Najib and his brother)
7. Sirul’s admission from an Australian lock up (Najib must have paid for it)
8. Santamil Selvi’s apology to Najib and her retraction of he same (Najib must have paid for it)

The sub plots included interviews (selective and shot both in time and substance)  with:

a) Claire Rewcastle Brown (the instigator and the source of most material it appears and sub narrator if not sub editor of the script).

b) Terrence Fernandez

c) Mahathir Mohamed

d) Charles Morais ( with a story about how his brother was killed for investigating and preparing charges against Najib for a $27 million bribe.

e) Balasubramaniam and Amrick Singh Siddhu

f) the infamous press conference with Bala’s wife Santamil Selvi

g) Tony Pua

h) Zaid Ibrahim

And to top it all off a limited self taped statement by Sirul Azar Omar denying the prime minister Najib Razak had anything to do with the murder of Altantuya Sharibu. 

Cleverly apart from Tony Pua, the Chinese opposition and its otherwise vocal chorus of politicians and NGO’ were silent and avoided giving any interviews.

No Theresa Kok (bad Feng Shui perhaps), No Elizabeth Wong to cry on cue when the cameras were switched on, No Lim Kit Siangs, no Guan Engs, not even an Ambiga in sight.

There was a general expectation of something more revealing, fresh with evidence or factual for the audience to absorb. It was vintage ABC. Racist to the core playing to a Chinese and anti Islamic audience in a converted Australia of Islamophobes and anti Malays.

What was even more disappointing was that there was not even a hint of that woman of courage Ambiga Srinivasan. It was all quiet on the western front.

The general thrust of Claire Rewcastle Browns message is that Malaysia under Najib Razak is the world’s worst and biggest kelptocracy ever. And more interesting the “people of Malaysia live in fear of their prime minister”.

It is perhaps out of fear that they march against him, write articles accusing him of the worst crimes against his citizens and Mongolians and have more TV and social media pages in Malaysia that are anti government than they have per capita anywhere else.