Wednesday, June 29, 2016

As GE14 approaches, the Najib administration is abusing all its paws of power to politically persecute Opposition leaders in order to stay in power

The DAP condemns the politically-motivated persecution of Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng for alleged corruption.

He is expected to be charged in the George Town Sessions Court under Section 23 of the MACC Act and Section 165 of the Penal Code.  The first charge relates to alleged abuse of power with regards to the re-zoning of land, and the second concerns the bungalow, which he is accused of acquiring below market price.

Over the past few months, Chief Minister’s and the Penang state government have demonstrated proof that there was no impropriety in Lim’s purchase of the bungalow as there was no contracts or benefits granted to the seller, whether directly or indirectly.

Hence the MACC’s move to prosecute Lim, which coincided with the resignation of the top 2 MACC officials just days earlier, is clearly designed to destroy him politically. It also demonstrates the Najib administration’s sense of invincibility after the convincing wins in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar by-elections.  The Prime Minister is seizing the opportunity further weaken the opposition after imprisoning Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, before possibly calling for an early election next year.

This is not the first time Lim Guan Eng is being persecuted by the Barisan Nasional government.  He was arrested in 1994 for criticising the government's failure to bring then-Chief Minister of Melaka, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik's statutory rape case to trial when the Attorney General had decided not to press charges.  Lim was then charged under Section 4(1) (b) of the Sedition Act 1948 and the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.  He was sentence to 18 months jail and served time in Kajang prison.

Despite his incarceration, Lim never lost the trust of the people and was immediately voted back into Parliament and the Penang state assembly in 2008.  He has since proven the opposition’s ability to rule in Malaysia and transformed Penang into the most envied state in the country.

We believe in Lim Guan Eng’s integrity and innocence and we will stand resolutely with him to fight these charges which are made without legal basis.  We call upon all Malaysians who believes in a competent, accountable and transparent government to stand together with Lim Guan Eng, with the DAP and Pakatan Harapan, to fight the corrupt and repressive Barisan Nasional regime.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Arul Kanda begitu berluang masa berkempen untuk Barisan Nasional di Sungai Besar, tetapi tidak berani berdebat dengan saya mengenai 1MDB

Saya  ingin  menjemput  Arul  Kanda  yang  begitu  berluang  masa  dapat  berkempen  untuk Barisan  Nasional,  tapi  tidak  berani  berdebat  dengan  saya  untuk  memberikan  penjelasan kepada  orang  ramai  di  mana-mana  satu  ceramah  yang  dianjurkan  oleh  Pakatan  Harapan malam ini atau esok.

Saya  dimaklumkan  bahawa  Arul  Kanda  telah  berucap  di  program  Wacana  Isu  Semasa Negara, bersama penjawat awam yang diadakan di Sekolah Menengah Agama Pasir Panjang.  Ini  sangat  menghairankan  saya,  dan  saya  pasti  ramai  yang  lain  juga  turut  tertanya-tanya; apa yang Arul Kanda sedang buat di Sungai Besar?

Bukankah  beliau  selalu  menegaskan  bahawa  beliau  bukan  seorang  ahli  politik  dan  tidak berniat untuk tersangkut dengan pengupasan politik Malaysia?

Saya   sangat   kecewa   kerana   Arul   Kanda   nampaknya   boleh   meluangkan   masa   untuk berkempen  bagi  pihak  Barisan  Nasional  tetapi  telah  menarik  balik persetujuan  untuk berdebat dengan saya tentang isu-isu berkait 1MDB.

Beliau  telah  sebelum  ini  memberikan  alasan  untuk  menolak  sesi  debat  tersebut  bahawa beliau   perlu   memberikan   tumpuan   khusus   untuk   membantu   penyiasatan   oleh   pihak berkuasa  di  Malaysia  dan  menyelesaikan  masalah  rumit  1MDB  dengan  syarikat  kerajaan Abu Dhabi, International Petroleum Investment Corporation (IPIC).

Adakah  penyiasatan  dan  masalah  dengan  IPIC  yang  membabitkan  jumlah  sebanyak  US$6.5 bilion sudah diselesai?

Apatah  lagi  setelah  International  Petroleum  Investment  Company  PJSC  (IPIC)  dan  Aabar Investments  PJS  (Aabar)  telah  memfailkan  kes  arbitrasi  terhadap  1MDB di  Mahkamah Arbitrasi Antarabangsa, London.

Takkanlah Arul Kanda mempunyai begitu banyak masa terluang serta mampu meninggalkan kerja-kerja  yang  lebih  penting  setelah  1MDB  disaman  dengan  tuntutan  berjumlah  US$6.5 bilion selain terlibat dalam siasatan di dalam dan luar negara?

Arul   Kanda   barangkali   CEO   paling   tidak   boleh   diharap   setelah   berulang   kali   terbukti mengabaikan  tanggungjawabnya  dan  gagal  menepati  kata-kata  bahawa  kononnya semua permasalahan 1MDB sudah pun diselesaikan. Penyelesaian kepada masalah saman arbitrasi terhadap  1MDB tidak akan membolehkan beliau  temui di Sg Besar. Kecuali Arul Kanda  dan 1MDB kini berminat dengan pelaburan sawah padi atau kapal nelayan.

Atas  kelalaian  dan  sikap  bersahaja  beliau  sehingga  boleh  membuang  masa  berkempen untuk Barisan Nasional, Arul Kanda sewajarnya dipecat oleh Lembaga Pengarah 1MDB yang baru kerana telah gagal melaksanakan tugas.

Jika Arul Kanda boleh bersenang-senang makan angin di Sekinchan, dan membantu jentera kempen  Barisan  Nasional,  saya  ingin  menjemput  beliau  untuk  memberikan  penjelas  1MDB kepada  seluruh  pengundi  Sg  Besar  di  mana-mana  ceramah  yang  dianjurkan  oleh  Pakatan Harapan malam ini atau malam esok.

Saya  percaya  orang  awam  yang  sekarang  cukup  kecewa  dan  marah  dengan  kerajaan pimpinan  Dato’  Seri  Najib  Razak  amat  mengalu-alukan  penjelasan  daripada  Arul  Kanda mengenai skandal gergasi 1MDB.

Wednesday, June 01, 2016

The newly appointed 1MDB Board of Directors must carry out its duties to the Government and Malaysian tax-payers by ensuring good corporate governance and accountability

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) today announced the appointment of new board of directors for 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), succeeding the previous board, which officially resigned yesterday.

The new three-member board is chaired by Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Senior Private Secretary to the Chief Secretary of the Government Datuk Norazman Ayob and Chief Operating Officer of Prokhas Sdn Bhd Datuk Kamal Mohd Ali.

We also welcome the steps taken by MOF to dissolve the 1MDB Board of Advisors, remove of the current Article 117 and change of all references from “Prime Minister” to “Minister of Finance”. Article 117 had given the Prime Minister vast powers to arbitrarily interfere in the operations of 1MDB, including the appointment of Board of Directors and top company executives as well as all major financial transactions where his “written approval” is explicitly required.

However, the amendments to 1MDB’s Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A) as well as the changes to the Board of Directors would be an absolute waste of time if these new directors do not exercise the powers entrusted with them to ensure that the rogue management complies with all the required practices of good governance and corporate accountability.

The number one item on the agenda for the first Board of Directors meeting, which should hopefully be held soon, must be the demand for the company’s auditors, Deloitte to commence and complete the much delayed audit of 1MDB for the financial year ending 31 March 2015 and March 2016.

Without a clear and accurate picture of the financial position of the Company, the Board of Directors would be acting in a vacuum, rushing headlong into decisions without knowing the underlying status of the company.

The auditors must also be specifically directed to audit the US$7 billion (RM28 billion) of missing funds from 1MDB which the Auditor-General has been unable to verify due to the lack of cooperation from the management and the previous Board of Directors.

The sum included:

•  The sums of US$700 million and US$330 million which was misappropriated to Good Star Limited, a company which Bank Negara has identified as owned by Jho Low and is completely unrelated to the 1MDB-Petrosaudi joint venture in 2009 and 2011.

•  US$3.51 billion which was paid to a British Virgin Islands (BVI) incorporated Aabar Investment PJS Limited “Aabar (BVI)” in the form of collaterals, options termination compensation and further unexplained “top-up security” payments despite obvious doubts over who owns Aabar (BVI). Aabar (BVI) has since been found to be a fraudulent entity and dissolved since the June of last year.

•  US$940 million worth of “units” which was parked at the Swiss Bank branch of BSI Bank in Singapore. BSI Bank, Singapore has since been ordered to close but the whereabouts of US$940 million remains a mystery.

Another US$1.56 billion of investments by 1MDB’s wholly-owned foreign subsidiary, 1MDB Global Investments Limited

In fact, the Chairman of the new Board, Tan Sri Irwan Serigar must direct 1MDB President, Arul Kanda who kept his executive position, to immediately supply all documentary information and evidence pertaining to the above to be tabled for the very first Board meeting.

If Arul Kanda fails to satisfactorily explain the massive US$7 billion unaccounted funds, then the Board of Directors have now within their powers, after the removal of Article 117, to sack Arul Kanda for incompetence, cover up and collusion with the fraudsters who have resulted in billions of dollars of losses for Malaysians.