Nobody believes Najib’s claim that 1MDB woes resolved, says Kit Siang

DAP's Lim Kit Siang raises concerns after the prime minister that issues relating to 1MDB have been resolved. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 1, 2016.

Malaysians are not convinced that 1Malaysia Development Berhad's (1MDB) troubles have been resolved despite the prime minister's promise, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said today.

On the contrary, he said the "twin" scandals of the RM2.6 billion donation and 1MDB's dealings had become even bigger despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's promise in June last year that all problems involving the state-owned investment firm would be resolved by the end of the year.

"Both mega scandals have achieved the virtually impossible feat of accumulating like a snowball even more questions than answers with each passing month," Lim said in a statement.

He was taking Najib to task for his New Year's message last night, in which the prime minister said he had delivered his promises to resolve 1MDB's issues.

Lim said Najib's announcement did not address the problems of lack of accountability, transparency, good governance and integrity surrounding the scandals.

"This is why Malaysia has the dubious honour of being ranked third in the world’s 'worst corruption scandals of 2015' by Washington Post’s foreign policy website, after FIFA and Nigeria, beating Honduras, Guatemala and Ghana, shortly after Wall Street Journal dropped its last bombshell for the year for Najib, with its report that the RM2.6 billion donation came from 1MDB."

Global media coverage of the RM2.6 billion donation and 1MDB have also made them the "top international corruption issues", Lim added.

"Why then did Najib make the claim in his New Year Message that the 1MDB controversy had finally been put to rest.

"Najib could not be so naïve or cut off from the realities on the ground as to believe for a moment that the twin mega scandals could be completely laid to rest without full and satisfactory accounting or that there is no need for any more government explanation, accountability or responsibility.

"Unless Najib could offer an answer, this is a question Malaysians should be asking and pondering," Lim said.

- TMI