SEREMBAN, April 5 — The sale of the luxury yacht, Equanimity, proof of the 1MDB scandal which caused the country’s current financial crisis, has actually taken place, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
Advising the people not to be duped again by the Barisan Nasional (BN), Lim who is also the finance minister, said the sale of the yacht indirectly showed that the opposition leader concerned had cheated the people all this while by denying the existence of the scandal which occurred during their administration previously.
“They said that the 1MDB was a lie, if we had lied then how could we sell the luxury yacht at a price of US$126 million (RM515.3 million),” he said in his speech before hundreds of people who had attended the Pakatan Harapan group ceramah in conjunction with the by-election campaign for the State Legislative Assembly seat of Rantau, here tonight.
Also present were DAP vice-president who is also Human Resource Minister M. Kulasegaran, DAP National Organising Secretary Anthony Loke Siew Fook, PKR vice-president who is also Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye and Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the by-election Dr S. Streram.
Last Wednesday, Attorney General Tommy Thomas announced in a statement that the yacht was bought by Genting Malaysia Bhd or a special purpose company at a price of US$126 million.
Lim explained that the country now had to bear debts amounting to RM150 billion because of 1MDB and the companies linked to it.
“We had to withdraw funds amounting to billions of ringgit, this is not a small amount, but they were the ones who stole but we get the blame, they had spoiled us, but the ones who saved us get the blame. I hope we don’t get cheated. We have long been cheated, If we still want to be cheated now...then there is no future lah,”he said.
In another development, Lim hinted that the East Coast Railway Line (ECRL) would be continued in the near future if negotiations on the project led by the chairman of the Council of Eminent Persons, Tun Daim Zainuddin could reduce further the cost of its construction.
He said the negotiations which were expected to be able to reduce further the construction cost up to RM35 billion from the original cost of RM66 billion, would also bring good news to the people of Negri Sembilan.
“If this can be done, it would not only be good for the country but also for the people of Negri Sembilan because the alignment will also be changed, and I say this will be good for Negri Sembilan,” he said.
In the by-election, Dr Streram will face the BN candidate Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and two independent candidates namely housewife R.Malarvizhi and former lecturer Mohd Nor Yassin. — Bernama
