COMMENT Prior to the issuance of the the royal decree by the Conference of Malay Rulers, we were told that the special task force that was formed to investigate 1MDB was already disbanded.

For that reason, individual agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had to operate on its own to conduct the investigation. Even then, some of their men were transferred within 24 hours.

If not for the expressions of unhappiness shown by the public in solidarity with the MACC duo, the two senior government officials would have been put in cold storage.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali is now telling us that the probe is still on , and the task force was never disbanded in the first place. It is like the saying, ‘Now you see it, now you don’t’.

Hasten not, delay not

In a follow-up statement yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid, the government is saying that no one should push to hasten or delay the 1MDB probe.

In the first place, if the task force had been in operation all this while, why did it take so long to carry out the joint investigation? Why was the outcome of the investigation never revealed to the public?

Why was the public accounts committee not allowed to carry on the investigation under the leadership of its acting chairperson, and instead, why did it have to be delayed?

In any case, the onus is on Umno president Najib Abdul Razak to explain how and why a secretary of the PAC could override the decision by its acting chairperson to urge that the investigation be continued?

If the investigation had taken the course of the law, and it has been ongoing as a task force, then why did the Conference of Rulers express their concerns over the investigations that never arrived at a conclusion?

I am sure they would now want to know whether the AG has told the truth or not. Was the special 1MDB task force disbanded the moment Apandi replaced former AG Abdul Gani Patail?

Zahid should not underestimate the Malay rulers themselves by giving an explanation that appears to uphold the decree, but in fact, is nothing but another silat performance.

When the rulers themselves have expressed that they want the investigation into the 1MDB scandal to be concluded fast, they are fully aware of the circumstances around it; else, they would not have been so specific about the matter.

To even suggest that they should not push to hasten or delay the investigation is not only unbecoming of the Umno vice-president, but Zahid owes an explanation to the rakyat.

I am surprised that the NGOs such as Perkasa have not spoken up against such a hypocritical statement issued as a veiled defiance against the Conference of Malay rulers, as if the rulers themselves do not understand the laws and the procedures involved in carrying out an investigation.

When they issued the royal decree, they would have taken into account the various aspects of the law and viewpoints. Else, they would not have been so specific in asking for the probe to be hastened and the culprits being punished accordingly.

While we practise constitutional monarchy in Malaysia, I believe the sultans, the yam tuan and the raja have an important role to play to ensure that there is no deadlock between the current cabinet with the people, between former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Najib himself, and between the red shirt supporters and the Bersih supporters.

Come clean

At this juncture, Najib has only two options - either to resign on his own accord when there is a show of no-confidence in Parliament, or for the Agong to dissolve the Parliament for the next general election to be held.

The longer this decision is delayed, the worse it gets. As a friend has rightly pointed out, the moment the royal decree was issued, the exchange rate of the ringgit to the US dollar shot up by 10 sen.

In other words, the steep fall of the ringgit has nothing to do with the country’s fundamentals, but the confidence deficit that Najib currently commands from the investors. A friend has predicted that the moment things are put in order, the ringgit will appreciate again.

Therefore, Najib should take heed of the people’s disenchantment with his leadership. He cannot play the game of ‘catch me, if you can.’ It is too costly a game for the country and its rakyat.

The government cannot continue to operate without enjoying the people’s confidence. When the government under his leadership has failed to command the confidence of the people, Najib has to automatically tender the resignation of his entire cabinet and let the people choose a new government to lead the country. Do we have a choice?

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.