Kuala Lumpur: MALAYSIA being a leader in Islamic finance can offer its experience and continue contributing to the global economy, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
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Speaking at a ceremony where he gave out grants under the Prime Minister Department’s Sedic (Socio-Economic Development of the Indian Community) scheme, he said Najib had surpassed his predecessors in efforts to help the community.
This was after Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Azalina Othman, refused to answer several questions on the RM2.6 billion on Oct 19, stating that she will only do so at one go, on a later date. “Yet it is still the PM prerogative”, she told reporters in Parliament today.
However, she added that it will be up to Najib to attend the Dewan Rakyat meeting on that day to answer the questions raised personally.
At a press conference later, DAP’s Seremban MP Anthony Loke accused Putrajaya of waiting till the final day of the meeting to address queries on the donation in order to avoid further questions.
But opposition members of parliament criticized the government for only fielding the questions on the last day of the session, giving no time for them to respond.
Earlier, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam said the support of the Indian community was not reflective of the assistance given by the government since 2009.
For months, the country has been transfixed by allegations that the money may have been from deals involving heavily-indebted state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Lim also urged BN MPs who have “the conscience and courage” to join the opposition in opposing what he described as a “systemic violation of parliamentary traditions and rights”.
The Wall Street Journal and whistle blower site Sarawak Report released reports quoting documents from the ongoing 1MDB probe claiming the $700 million (or 2.67 billion Ringgit) moved among government agencies, banks and entities linked to 1MDB before ending up in the prime minister’s personal accounts in five separate deposits.
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The RM2.6 billion was later declared to be a donation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from Middle Eastern donors whose identities were not revealed, however.
