KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today he is considering pulling the plug on his campaign to seek the truth on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), noting that he may face arrest if he continues to write about the scandal.
According to Malaysiakini, the outspoken former prime minister cited the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as an example, pointing out that even the foreign business newspaper was asked to explain its articles on 1MDB.
“I don’t know. I have to think about it because it’s very serious,” he was quoted saying in reply to a question on whether he plans to continue blogging about 1MDB after having declared yesterday that even discussing the scandal was deemed a “crime”.
“I might be invited by the police to be questioned. I don’t think they will put me in jail yet but there is that possibility,” he was quoted by the news portal as saying after launching former information minister Zainuddin Maidin’s book titled Mahathir is not my friend.
Dr Mahathir has been at the forefront of the attacks against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and has written countless blog posts on the latter’s brainchild 1MDB, a state investment firm that has racked up a reported debt of RM42 billion.
The former prime minister has not issued any recent posts on the controversy, however, even after Najib’s shock Cabinet reshuffle earlier this week.
The reshuffle saw officials deemed unsupportive of Putrajaya’s handling of 1MDB removed from the government, including even deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who has repeatedly urged Najib to answer the allegations surrounding the debt-laden firm.
Besides Muhyiddin, others removed include Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, who was dropped as Attorney-General, and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal who was replaced as rural and regional development minister.
Yesterday, the usually outspoken Dr Mahathir refused to field questions on 1MDB, pointedly saying that discussing the firm could land the speaker in jail.
“I just want to warn you I can’t comment on 1MDB because talking about 1MDB is now a crime,” he told reporters at the start of the press conference.
