Najib wants to discuss 'below market price' bungalows with voters

Najib Abdul Razak has responded to Lim Guan Eng's question if the former premier is planning to teach the voters in Sandakan about corruption.

“No. I am not going there to teach corruption.

“I just want to discuss how to acquire a bungalow below market price from a seller who has business ties with the state government.

“After that, I want to discuss how a corruption case heard in court for three weeks with 20 witnesses having testified could be dropped that even MACC was surprised,” he said in a Facebook posting.

This was an obvious reference to the charges against Lim, who was the former Penang chief minister, and businessperson Phang Li Khoon.

Lim was charged with using his public office to obtain gratification for himself and his wife by approving an application by Magnificent Emblem to convert agricultural land for residential purposes during a state executive council meeting on July 18, 2014.

He was also charged with using his position to obtain gratification by purchasing a bungalow from Phang at below its market value. Phang was charged with abetting him.

The charges were dropped last September, leading the MACC to express shock.

Lim, who is now finance minister, claimed the charges were politically motivated and that the bungalow deal was struck between a willing seller and himself.

Meanwhile, Najib said he also wanted to discuss the Penang undersea tunnel issue with the voters and listed several points which he planned to raise.

Speaking at a ceramah in Sandakan last night, Lim, who referred to Najib as "bossku", asked what the latter intended to tell the voters.

“If 'bossku' (Najib) comes, what is he going to teach the people of Sandakan?

"Is he going to teach them how to be corrupt like in the 1MDB case? Maybe (he'll teach) the people of Sandakan how to put billions into their bank accounts," said the DAP secretary-general.

Najib would be campaigning for PBS candidate Linda Tsen, who would be facing DAP's Vivian Wong and three independent candidates, in tomorrow's by-election for the Sandakan seat.

The parliament seat fell vacant following the death of Vivian's father Stephen Wong in March. - Mkini