Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should initiate legal action against all who have criticised him on 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion found in his accounts, former MCA president Ong Tee Keat said today.

Ong said Najib's move of threatening to sue only former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik was surprising.

"If at all, he has to follow the present principles. Meaning, when he decided to bring Ling to court to safeguard his integrity, I couldn't help but wonder.

"Numerous press also reported it, internationally too. Is he not going to do the same against other international media or even the media in China?" Ong asked.

It should therefore not be difficult for Najib to find translations of the mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong press reports, he quipped.

Ong added that Najib should also take former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad ( photo ) to court.

Mahathir has become Najib's staunchest critic and has made similar criticisms as Ling.

"Yes. Not that I want to single out Mahathir, but I am talking about his (Najib's) standards," Ong told the media after launching Tongkat Ali wine in Sri Kembangan this afternoon.

Najib has the right to sue

Commenting further, Ong said Najib has the right to sue Ling under the existing law.

"He (Najib) is a Malaysian who has the right to sue. We cannot deny him his rights.

"What I feel weird about this is that there are many scathing remarks about Najib, some which are more serious than this (Ling’s statement). Why he didn't sue the others?"

Najib on Monday issued a letter of demand to Ling, seeking an apology within seven days.

Ling yesterday said he would not apologise and was willing to be sued by Najib.

During an event over the weekend, Ling said he agreed with Mahathir's call for Najib to step down because "he has taken people's money and put it in his own personal accounts".

Ling also made a brief appearance at the Bersih 4 gathering in Perth, Australia, which among others called for the prime minister’s resignation.

Ong ‘reserves judgment’ on Liow

Asked about current MCA president Liow Tiong Lai's leadership, Ong declined to comment.

"I reserve my judgment… I have lost touch with their brand of politics.

"I would say that everthing they do is not on my radar. Perhaps my radar is very small. cannot accommodate everything," he quipped.

Malaysiakini has reported that the MCA grassroots appear to be unhappy with Liow's weak leadership in handling national issues, including Ling's case, 1MDB and the Sept 16 red shirt rally.

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