KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 — DAP’s Ong Kian Ming today called on his party leadership to take a firm stand on the ongoing 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) cases against Datuk Seri Najib Razak following the reduction of the former prime minister’s jail sentence and fine by the Pardons Board recently.
The former Bangi MP said the cases surrounding 1MDB – Malaysia’s biggest financial corruption scandal to date – must continue and not go the way of other graft cases that have ended in discharges not amounting to acquittals linked to other current Cabinet members.
“The recommendation by the Pardons Board to reduce Najib’s current prison sentence from 12 years to six years and fine from RM210 million to RM50 million is likely a compromise that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leadership had to make to placate the supporters of ‘Bossku’ within Umno.
“But this does not mean that the DAP leadership must stay silent on its position on several related and important issues,” Ong said in a statement.
He also urged the DAP leadership to take a firm position on the investigation announced by the police against Tony Pua under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“While some of Tony’s Facebook posts in reaction to Najib’s reduced sentence may not have been done in good taste, the DAP leadership must not forget his relentless pursuit of the details of the 1MDB scandal in and out of parliament when he was an MP.
“Without Tony’s contributions, we may not have experienced the change in government in the 2018 general elections, and Najib would not have been charged, tried, and convicted over his role in the 1MDB scandal, starting with the SRC International charges for which he is currently serving his sentence,” he added.
He called for the DAP to push for institutional reform as promised by PH under its manifesto for the 2022 general elections.
Ong added that passing some of the institutional reforms would be helpful to Umno to show the larger electorate, including the Malay voters, that it can align itself to principles of good governance and stronger institutions.
“If these commitments cannot be delivered, DAP and PH faces the real possibility that the turnout rate among its supporters will experience a significant fall in the next general election.
“Some of its supporters may even switch their support to Perikatan Nasional (PN) out of disgust for the lack of moral leadership on the part of DAP and PH leaders,” he said.
“It is important for the DAP leadership to remind itself that it cannot only rely on the fear of PAS getting into power to maintain its support among the non-Malay community,” he said.
He added that DAP would be “not very different from MCA in the past” if it persists in relying on bogeys to scare its ethnic Chinese vote bank to support them.
Ong said the party must be seen to take collective responsibility, and urged its central executive committee to back up DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
“Many DAP supporters have been very patient with many of the political developments which have taken place since the formation of the unity government in November 2022 for the sake of political stability.
“But their patience is running thin. Political expediency for the sake of political stability can only go so far. It is time for the DAP leadership to speak up,” he said.
