Umno info chief wishes 'good luck' to Najib's detractors

Umno information chief Annuar Musa today wished "good luck" to all parties looking to oust Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak following the US crackdown on 1MDB.

"We (Umno) wish good luck to the opposition.

"They can continue to try (and remove Najib) using their own ways," said Annuar during a press conference after the launch of Mara Digital 2 at Anggerik Mall in Shah Alam.

The Mara chairperson also said 1MDB and the Prime Minister’s Office had issued very succinct statements in response to the civil suit to recover nearly US$1 billion in assets, for people who really wanted to understand the issue.

"The government has the government's way. Umno has Umno's way (to respond)," said Annuar when asked to comment on renewed calls for Najib’s resignation, following the US Department of Justice's press conference yesterday.

Annuar further said the problem was that certain quarters insisted on "spinning" the issue to implicate Najib, although the DOJ's statement yesterday was very clear.

"The DOJ was only carrying out what is laid out or provided for under existing laws in America," he said.

Annuar also stressed that 1MDB has no assets in the US.

"It (the report) specifically mentioned certain names and owners of assets or investments in the United States," he added.

At the same time, Annuar also claimed that the civil suit could actually benefit 1MDB.

"This is because the polemics that try to politicise this case would gradually be eradicated," he said.

In a separate statement, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman also cautioned the opposition against being too keen to remove Najib.

"The opposition is seen as being too eager when the Opposition leader has also urged the prime minister to go on leave.

"This clearly exposes their own double standards. They were silent when DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was charged in court," she said.

The US DOJ, in its suit seeking to seize assets allegedly acquired using siphoned 1MDB funds, did not name Najib.

However, the report mentioned a "Malaysian Official 1" who allegedly received US$781 million of the misappropriated monies.  - Mkini