It would be cruel to hang Sirul, says Dr M

The former PM raises questions about the Altantuya murder, the 1MDB scandal, and the acquisition of a new luxury jet.

UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: It will be an act of cruelty to hang Sirul Azhar Umar if it’s true that he was following orders when he killed Altantuya Shaaribuu, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has declared.

In a blog posting demanding answers from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to questions relating to the murder as well as the controversy surrounding 1MDB, Mahathir notes that Najib has not ordered an investigation into Sirul’s claim.

He also notes that Sirul, who has fled to Australia, was Najib’s bodyguard.

“The public is wondering who gave Sirul the order,” he writes. “He was Dato Sri Najib’s bodyguard and his allegation must be investigated to determine who gave the order. Najib has only said that Sirul was talking rubbish. There’s been no investigation.

“We’re talking about somebody’s life. It would be cruel indeed to kill someone who was following orders.”

Mahathir refers to widespread speculation that Umno and BN would lose the 14th general election because of Najib’s silence in the face of allegations directed at him.

Turning to 1MDB, he points out that no clear answers have been forthcoming to a myriad of questions, including those related to the following:

• Jho Low’s involvement with 1MDB;
• 1MDB’s borrowing of RM2 billion to settle a debt despite claiming that its assets exceeded its debts;
• The status of funds said to be parked in the Cayman Islands;
• The reasoning behind the decision to keep more than RM50 million in a Swiss bank’s branch in Singapore;
• The prices paid for the purchase of government land;
• 1MDB’s dealings with PetroSaudi.

Mahathir also refers to allegations that Najib’s stepson owns a large amount of wealth and asks how he acquired it.

“Meanwhile,” he says, “despite the government facing a huge shortage of funds and having to borrow, Dato Seri Najib as Prime Minister has gone ahead and acquired another luxury aircraft. The public knows that the existing ACJ319 is used not only for official purposes but also as private transport for the Dato Sri and Datin Sri.”

He calls the acquisition of the plane a waste in the light of uncertainties about the Malaysian economy.

He claims that Malaysian citizens, whatever their racial background, have lost confidence in Najib.

“Umno members and their leaders must realise that Umno and, by extension, BN will lose if Najib remains as the party’s top leader until the 14th general election,” he says. “Once Umno loses, it cannot be revived.”

Mahathir says it wasn’t easy for him to post the article on his blog. “But I have to expose all this for the sake of the nation.”