KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng should stop using 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as a smokescreen to avoid addressing other national issues, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
The former prime minister said he was “disappointed” that Lim chose to not respond to a question about illicit financial outflow in Malaysia and talk about 1MDB instead.
“When Beluran MP YB Ronald Kiandee asked what measures have been taken to prevent (the illicit outflow of funds), Lim (performed) tai chi (and blamed) 1MDB,” Najib said in a Facebook post.
He pointed out that he once explained how illicit financial outflows totalling RM1.8 trillion were brought out of the country from 2004 to 2014, and referenced a Global Financial Integrity (GFI) report which stated that in 2014, US$44.3 billion (RM186 billion) could have been brought out of the country illegally.
“Is this the standard of a minister that you want? For the PH government, everything is 1MDB’s fault and 1MDB has ruined the country,” Najib said.
Najib demanded Lim explain how 1MDB’s RM30 billion debt, at a time when the size of the economy was RM1.35 trillion, could do more damage than the RM33 billion in forex losses in the early 1990s.
At that time, he said the size of the economy was around RM180 billion.
Najib also asked how 1MDB’s RM30 billion debt could destroy the country but at the same Putrajaya could compel RM82 billion in payment from Petronas
“Answer properly. This is not a playground, this is a government of a country,” Najib said.
