DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit SIang has urged Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak to allow a highly-anticipated debate on 1MDB to be telecast live.
Lim said this in reference to Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz's debate with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on March 25, which will among others, touch on the 1MDB scandal, the multi-billion deposits in the prime minister' bank accounts, the East Coast Rail Link and the Bumiputera Malaysia Finance scandal.
"I call on Salleh to arrange for the Mahathir-Nazri debate in Padang Rengas to be telecast live so that Malaysians all over the country can follow the latest developments of the mother of all government scandals in the nation’s history," Lim said in a statement today.
The DAP lawmaker said the debate was significant due to a blackout on the issue to date.
"It is for this reason that I welcome the Mahathir-Nazri debate on 1MDB in Padang Rengas on March 23.
"It will break the enforced firewall to prevent a healthy and democratic debate and people’s demand for accountability for the mother of all government scandals in the nation’s history," he said.
Lim pointed out that despite claims by Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani that the 1MDB issue had been debated extensively in Parliament, this was not true.
"MPs are not even allowed to ask questions about the 1MDB scandal although almost every other day, the 1MDB scandal is making headlines in other parts of the world.
"For the record, Parliament has never conducted any debate on the 1MDB scandal," said the Gelang Patah MP.
Lim said while the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) did conduct a probe into 1MDB, it happened before the committee had access to new information revealed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and its report was never debated in Parliament.
He added that the the Auditor-General’s report on 1MDB was also classified under the Official Secrets Act.
The DOJ, through its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, is seeking to recover US$1 billion in assets allegedly acquired using funds purportedly stolen from 1MDB and laundered through the US financial system.
Lim said he had asked the prime minister in Parliament today whether the government was taking any measures to restore Malaysia's good name from being regarded as global kleptocracy but this too was rejected by the House Speaker.- Mkini
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