PM’s aide dares Kit Siang to ask ‘Penang Official 1’ to step down
Tengku Sariffuddin says the DAP elder politician can only expect people to take his demands on the federal government seriously if he undertakes such an action himself.
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Razak’s office has called on Lim Kit Siang to ask his son Guan Eng to step down as the Penang chief minister in light of his corruption case initiated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Referring to Guan Eng as “Penang Official 1”, Najib’s press secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad said Kit Siang, who is DAP parliamentary leader, can only expect people to take his own demands on the federal government seriously if he undertook such an action himself.
He said Kit Siang should also stop using other issues to divert from the Bank Negara foreign exchange (forex) scandal which occurred under the rule of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is now PPBM chairman.
“Instead, he should reveal the wrongdoings by Mahathir Mohamad on this matter, which led to alleged losses of US$10 billion of the people’s money,” Sariffuddin said in a statement today.
“After decades of calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), Kit Siang’s new-found silence on this issue and his new alliance with his former jailor Mahathir – all for the sake of political expediency – exposes the nature of the man, his lack of principles and integrity, and his unquenchable thirst for power over Malaysia,” he added.
On June 21, the cabinet agreed to the formation of the RCI on the losses suffered by Bank Negara due to forex trading in the 1990s.
The decision was made following a report by the special task force set up earlier this year to investigate the losses which determined that there was sufficient evidence to justify further action into the matter.
Earlier today, Kit Siang, who is also Gelang Patah MP, had asked if the “wife of MO1 (Malaysian Official 1)” would follow celebrities Leonardo DiCaprio and Miranda Kerr who handed over assets allegedly linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds to the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
He asked if the “wife of MO1” would hand over to the US authorities “all these multi-million US dollar worth of jewellery gifts from Jho Low which were diverted and misappropriated from 1MDB funds”.
The DoJ has undertaken legal actions in the US to seize assets allegedly purchased with funds embezzled from 1MDB.
Tengku Sariffuddin also said Kit Siang’s statements were self-serving and could not be trusted or believed.
“In this day and age the people have no respect for a dictator, whether self-confessed like Mahathir or dictators-in-denial like Kit Siang,” he said.
He added that Kit Siang should stop trying to hide that DAP had the most opposition seats in Parliament and was therefore calling the shots “behind the scenes”.
“As DAP is the clear opposition leader, Malaysians need to know who Kit Siang will nominate to be prime minister if the opposition wins the next general election,” Tengku Sariffuddin said.
“Kit Siang must come clean on his choice for PM, as it is the right of the people to know who they will be ruled by if they vote for the opposition.”
Tengku Sariffuddin added that a government led by Kit Siang and the DAP would be a disaster for Malaysia and the people.
On June 30 last year, Guan Eng, who has been Penang chief minister since March 2008, was charged with using his public office or position to obtain gratification for himself and his wife, Betty Chew, by approving an application by Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd to convert agricultural land for residential purposes during a state exco meeting on July 18, 2014.
Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general, was also alleged to have used his position to obtain gratification by purchasing a bungalow from businesswoman Phang Li Koon for RM2.8 million, below the property’s market value of RM4.7 million on July 28, 2015.
Guan Eng and Phang have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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