ET TU, NAZIR?

One negative statement from the Prime Minister’s own brother is worth 100 articles and special reports by foreign publications. And the same by the heads of various very important government agencies is worth 100 statements from opposition leaders.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

(Malay Mail Online) – Putrajaya must disprove or sue over negative reports by global media as the unflattering coverage is causing markets to view Malaysia more negatively than it actually is, Datuk Seri Nazir Razak said today.

Commenting on reports that a ratings agency saying that Malaysia’s sovereign credit rating deserves to be accorded “junk” status, the CIMB Group chairman said the view belied the country’s actual situation.

“This is worrying. The market is much more negative about Malaysia than the rating agencies, taking us into “junk” category, way below our fundamentals,” he wrote on photo-sharing site Instagram.

“Suspect it’s due to so much negative coverage in WSJ, FT and NYT — all ‘capital’ people read at least one if not all of them. We have to change the current narrative about Malaysia with answers or legal suits; can’t just ignore them.”

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(Free Malaysia Today) – The reminder by the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor that the public had a right to know the truth behind the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal, showed her intentions were good, said ousted Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal.

“That was a reminder. This is not just about the RM42 billion or the deficit or on the RM2.6 billion found in personal (bank) accounts.

“This is about investors’ trust, confidence and the international community’s perception about us that is eroding and it will continue to be that way if this matter cannot be resolved,” he said during a media conference.

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What do you call it when senior Umno leaders, the head of Bank Negara, and even Najib Tun Razak’s own brother criticises the Prime Minister openly and publicly? Well, you can call it whatever you want but I would call it a rebellion.

Basically, the definition of ‘rebellion’ is ‘an organised resistance or opposition to a government or authority.’ For example, I rebelled against authority back in the mid-1960s but sporting a Beatles hairstyle. Of course, I got into trouble with Murugesu, the headmaster of the Victoria Institution (VI) at that time, and was given six ‘cuts’ and was sent home to get a haircut.

I then told the barber to give me a ‘GI crew cut’ and reported back at Murugesu’s office. He was appalled, gave me another six ‘cuts’, and he told me to go home and not come back to school till my hair grew again.

That was how I rebelled back when I was just 16 years old. I ‘made a statement’. And I made a statement through my hair. I knew what the school authority would not accept and I did precisely that.

Many Umno leaders holding the position of Deputy President, Vice President, supreme council member, etc., plus senior people in the MACC, BNM, AGC, PDRM, and so on (ex-Prime Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers included), are making statements that are not at all complimentary to Najib. In fact, these statements actually severely affect not only the image of the Prime Minister but that of the government and the country as well.

It may be so that foreign publications are publishing very damaging commentaries and reports regarding Najib (supposedly for the sake of truth and justice). But it makes one wonder why they focus on the US$1 billion (reported as US$700 million) that a certain foreign government or leader was alleged to have given Najib but remain silent on the US$150 billion that these same people gave so many other governments and leaders over the last 30 years.

I mean, they talk about the US$1 billion two years ago but do not talk about the US$150 billion over the last 30 years. What was the money for? Who are the recipients of this money? How much of it actually went to the United States itself and to whom?

And that US$150 billion is from just one country, mind you. If you add the other amounts that were donated by the countries in that same region the total would be huge. No one knows the real figure because it is done in secret and is not done openly. Hence it could even be RM500 billion or more. Your guess is as good as mine.

Anyway, the talk in the market is that the US Justice Department and the FBI are investigating this matter. They will need to first determine whether any US laws have been broken and whether the money is illegal, involves fraud or corruption, etc. This may take years but since there is a paper trail (the money was not brought into Malaysia in cash in a suitcase) it will not be too difficult to get to the bottom of the matter.

The crucial issue is, if it is true that the donation came from a very strong Middle East ally of the US, would the US be prepared to expose the source of the money? And would they investigate not just the US$1 billion but also the US$150 billion over the last 30 years to determine whether any US laws have been broken? Or is the target just Najib and Najib alone?

Let us see whether the US is really interested in truth and justice at the expense of embarrassing so many other leaders and governments who are friends and allies of the US. And would the US go the distance if this involves not just a donation to a Malaysian leader but many donations to US leaders as well, some who went on to become the President or Presidents of the United States?

Whatever it may be, what the US is doing is one thing. But what Najib’s own brother and those others are doing and saying is even more crucial, plus damaging. When Nazir makes such statements people will say he is the Prime Minister’s own brother. So can’t he whisper in the Prime Minister’s ear or discuss this matter at home over dinner? Why does he need to make an open and public statement as if he does not have access to Najib or is not on talking terms with his brother?

One negative statement from the Prime Minister’s own brother is worth 100 articles and special reports by foreign publications. And the same by the heads of various very important government agencies is worth 100 statements from opposition leaders.

Najib must be thinking, “Et tu, Nazir?”

So, yes, a rebellion is currently in progress. And if Najib cannot see that then he deserves to fall. And if he does not know how to put down this rebellion then he also deserves to fall. One thing we must admire Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for is he knows how to handle a rebellion and he will wipe out the rebels with absolutely no mercy.

Hello, Najib, in politics you cannot be a Mister Nice Guy. And the enemies you need to be very careful of are those in your own family and those in your inner circle. History has shown that your own family can be your worst enemies. That is why kings of days gone by assassinate their own brothers to eliminate any possibility of being ousted from power.