THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRADING OR BUSINESS LOSSES & STEALING: PAS MP WANTS HADI & CO TO JOIN PAKATAN’S ANTI-KLEPTOCRACY RALLY

PETALING JAYA – PAS’ Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar supports Pakatan Harapan’s road show to ensure the claims made in the United States Department of Justice’s (DoJ) civil lawsuits relating to 1MDB are made known to more Malaysians.

This is despite his own party rejecting the coalition’s invitation.

Mafuz said he supported the statement by PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Pakatan Harapan’s desire to have the rally or road show around the country.

This issue “requires the people’s attention”, Mahfuz told FMT.

When questioned about his party’s rejection of Pakatan Harapan’s invitation, he said that was up to PAS and its right as a party.

“But the people and individual PAS members are allowed to have a different understanding of the issue.”

Mahfuz said despite PAS leaders calling the DoJ civil suit on 1MDB a “foreign interference”, PAS members were well aware and understood that this was not the case.

The former PAS vice-president said he would like to explain to his leaders that the DoJ was investigating laundering of money linked to 1MDB.

He also compared the case to the heavy losses suffered by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in the foreign exchange (forex) market two decades ago.
“There is a big difference between losses and stealing.

“That is why they have not interfered in 1MDB’s affairs in Malaysia. They have only taken action against individuals who committed the crime in the US.

“To me, it is not foreign interference. This comes under money laundering laws,” said Mahfuz.

A member of the PAS working committee, Khairuddin Aman Razali, had said the party did not wish to be influenced by foreign quarters and that Pakatan Harapan was now the enemy of PAS.

“We follow our own path. We are neither with Barisan Nasional (BN), nor with Pakatan Harapan.

“We follow our own ways in acting on the 1MDB issue and do not follow the wishes of others,” he had said.

Khairuddin added that PAS would not follow blindly or be influenced by foreign quarters.

He said PAS rejected “foreign interference” and called for a domestic investigation of 1MDB, such as by a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

Pakatan Harapan is planning to go on a road show, beginning from Kepala Batas, Penang, on July 6, to explain to the public the DoJ’s accusations, which government leaders have dismissed as being politically motivated.

– FMT