KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — The prime minister should sue international media agencies like the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over their reports on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to defend Malaysia’s image, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today.

Dr Wan Azizah said the federal opposition welcomes the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s speech yesterday that said politicians should avoid damaging the country’s reputation internationally.

“Therefore, it would be quite helpful if the prime minister sues the international media that are said to have damaged the name of our prime minister, the government and the country to the point of causing investigations on 1MDB in six foreign countries,” the Permatang Pauh MP said when debating the King’s royal address in the Dewan Rakyat.

She added that a lawsuit against WSJ whether in Malaysia or overseas would help uphold Malaysia’s dignity in the eyes of the international community.

When PKR's Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen interjected to ask if lawsuits should be filed against several other media outlets such as The Guardian, the Financial Times, the Time magazine and Reuters for their 1MDB reports, Dr Wan Azizah replied "If can, (sue) all of them, but start with Wall Street Journal first".

Dr Wan Azizah also suggested that the Attorney-General's proposal last month for amendments to increase penalties in the Official Secrets Act (OSA) was aimed at blocking access to information on misappropriation under Najib's administration.

She said the government should give its guarantee that the mooted OSA amendment will not affect its cooperation in international investigations involving allegations of bribery, misappropriation of funds and money-laundering in relation to 1MDB and the prime minister.

Dr Wan Azizah was referring to investigations in the US, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.

1MDB recently said that it had in the past insisted that none of its funds were channeled into Najib’s private accounts, and that this has also been confirmed by authorities like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney-General.

In January, AG Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib of wrongdoing over the controversy, saying the US$681 million found deposited into his accounts was a personal gift from the Saudi royal family.