It goes without saying that netcitizens have lots to say whenever disgraced former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak opened his mouth to speak.
In fact, lawyer Mohd Hanifah Khairiza Abdullah was quoted saying that “the more Najib says, the more he is digging his own grave.”
So, when someone posted an article “Najib was impressed by Jho Low” in the Edge Markets online portal, the question was immediately raised, “Is Jho Low now the 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Fund) scapegoat?”
According to Home Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, Low is the “prime suspect” in the 1MDB scandal. In his own words, Muhyiddin calls Low the “main criminal.”
Taken into perspective that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is going after Najib, what Muhyiddin said clearly shows that it takes two hands to clap.
Najib without his henchman, Jho Low could not have siphoned off so much money; on the other hand, Low without Najib could not have influenced the 1MDB board and other statutory bodies to release so much money to an individual.
My take is that Najib has to bear the bigger responsibility since on him was the power which, as the saying goes, corrupts. There is no reason for Najib to now shift all blame on Low, who is dubbed ‘fat boy’ by some.
It is also interesting to note that Najib never dared to put the blame on Rosmah, who had amassed such great collection of Bijan and Birkin handbags and jewellery.
It is easy to pick someone like Low to be the scapegoat since he is now shivering in his closet, unable to speak except through his lawyers.
I am waiting to see if the authorities would not seize all the properties belonging to Low, Najib and Rosmah, since all three are implicated in the 1MDB scandal. There are also properties owned by other fugitives that are linked to the mother of all scandals.The funds siphoned off by these few individuals, and not Low only, is of a magnitude that is unthinkable, resulting in Malaysia’s debts now in excess of RM1 trillion.
To the ordinary Malaysian, while Najib is trying to blame it all on Low, he should bear the biggest brunt for the scandal. What shocks me when I read the Edge article is the lack of shame in Najib when such a scandal is linked to him throughout the world.
Najib was both Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. He was also the advisor of 1MDB, and every transaction would carry his signature.
If it had involved a one-time off transaction of just RM100,000, I can well and fully understand, but this scandal involve billions of Ringgit. Surely, Najib cannot put the entire blame on the flamboyant Malaysian playboy.
A leech and an opportunist he may be, but Jho Low is definitely not the scapegoat. A scapegoat is innocent, but Low has on his record all the wrongdoings that could put him behind bars for his entire natural life.
WRITER: STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008. He is currently contributing towards rebuilding the nation for a better future for the next generation of Malaysians.
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