KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 — MCA must state why it continues to defend the previous Barisan Nasional administration under Datuk Seri Najib Razak and take issue to the use of the term “kleptocracy” by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to describe the previous government, Lim Kit Siang said today.
He pointed out that MCA did not object or express outrage when US attorney general Loretta Lynch described the US Department of Justice’s “kleptocratic” litigation to forfeit 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)-linked assets where Najib was singled out, although he was only referred to as “Malaysian Official 1” (MO1) back in July 2016.
Lim said at the time, the case was classified as the “largest single action ever brought by the department’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative”.
He also reminded MCA that in December 2017, the-then US attorney general Jeff Sessions described the 1MDB case as “kleptocracy at its worst” at the global forum on asset recovery in Washington.
“MCA has stood out as the only political party so far to openly object to the internal memo by the Solicitor General III Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria using the term ‘kleptocracy’ to refer to the former administration of Najib Razak, ahead of his corruption trial tomorrow,” Lim said in a statement.
The Iskandar Puteri MP said that the current Pakatan Harapan government is committed in righting the wrongs committed by the Najib administration, and said parties like MCA need to be held accountable for their continued defence of the previous government.
“Malaysians are very disappointed that after nine months of the historic decision of May 9, 2018, the trial of Najib and his top lieutenants who had brought Malaysia the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy had not even started, allowing Najib to strut all over the country in his new ‘Boss Aku Malu Apa’ persona, which is as good as impertinently asking what is shameful about making Malaysia a global kleptocracy!” he said.
The MCA recently called on the AGC to remain impartial and be free from political interference following claims it was taking instructions from the Executive branch of the government.
This was in reference to an internal circular by the Solicitor General III, which reportedly stated that there should be no delays in the prosecution of corruption cases linked to the previous government.
Parties like MCA took issue with the circular as it referred to the previous administration as a “kleptocratic government.”
