Was Malaysia’s foreign policy in Saudi Arabia dictated by Jho Low, asks DAP

Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak must answer to allegations concerning Malaysia’s foreign policy in Saudi Arabia. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, March 4, 2015.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak must clarify if Malaysia's foreign policy in Saudi Arabia was dictated by businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, who has been closely linked to the prime minister through the debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a DAP lawmaker said today.

Calling it "highly disturbing", Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming said that in the wake of the recent exposé by Sarawak Report regarding the ties between 1MDB, Low and Najib, Najib had a lot to answer for.

He noted that the whistleblower website had said that Low and his associates were "working hard" to "prepare" for Najib's first official visit to Saudi Arabia in January 2010.

“Firstly, a close associate of Low, Seet Li Lin, was alleged to have prepared a draft of a letter to be sent by Najib to the-then king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah.

“Secondly, Tarek Obaid, the founder of PetroSaudi International, was alleged to have sent Low an email on November 13, 2009 asking the Malaysian prime minister to support Saudi Arabia’s military action in northern Yemen against a rebel group known as the Houthis,” Ong said in a statement today.

"A draft statement was even prepared by Obaid. On November 19, Najib issued a statement condemning the Houthis and supporting Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself."

Sarawak Report also said that Low had made arrangements for Najib to be interviewed by Jamal Kashoggi, who was most likely the general manager of the Al Arabiya News Channel, during his official trip, Ong said.

"The fact that an individual or a small group of individuals can dictate the foreign policy interests of Malaysia for their own personal gain, as alleged by the Sarawak Report exposé, is highly disturbing.

"Malaysia’s foreign policy must be dictated by the best interests of Malaysian citizens," he said, adding that Najib should answer this allegation along with a host of others that were raised in the Sarawak Report exposé.

Sarawak Report recently said that it had obtained "thousands of documents" on 1MDB's operations, as well as Low's role in the government-owned strategic investment fund.

PetroSaudi and 1MDB had signed a joint venture in September 2009 that saw 1MDB invest US$1 billion (RM3.63 billion) while PetroSaudi injected US$1.5 billion in assets.

Citing email correspondence between Low and his cohorts, Sarawak Report said that Low had orchestrated the entire deal so that he could use PetroSaudi as a front to siphon US$700 million from 1MDB.

The exposés have prompted opposition politicians, former Umno leaders and anti-graft bodies to demand a thorough investigation into 1MDB, and piled pressure on Najib, who is the finance minister and chairs the 1MDB advisory board.

The Edge Malaysia in its March 2-8 issue highlighted how 1MDB's first US$1 billion was shuffled around in the past five years, in an apparent bid to avoid scrutiny from its string of external auditors.

After its venture with PetroSaudi fell through in just six months, 1MDB continued to lend it more money for the next two years.

On February 21, 2015, 1MDB said its joint venture with PetroSaudi had earned it a profit of US$488 million.

In a statement on the company’s website, 1MDB president Arul Kanda Kandasamy also said that the money it had invested in the venture had been converted into Murabaha notes when the plan did not go through.

- TMI