Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is being made the scapegoat for the 1MDB imbroglio when the company's management should have taken full responsibility for the poor performance of the government investment fund, said PPP president M Kayveas.

"1MDB is just like any other company. If I have a RM52 billion asset and RM42 billion loan, then I should have no problem. I can sell off my asset anytime and pay for my loan.

"If my company is not doing well, you can say anything you want about the management of the company. Why make Najib the scapegoat?" he asked when met at PPP's Deepavali open house in Brickfields.

According to 1MDB, it has assets worth RM52 billion along with a debt of RM42 billion as of March 2014.

Najib sits in 1MDB's advisory board as chairperson.

On July 2, US-based Wall Street Journal reported RM2.6 billion in cash moved through state-linked agencies, bank, and 1MDB-linked companies, before ending up in Najib's personal accounts.

Najib has repeatedly said it was a 'donation' and not meant for personal gain.

It was later revealed by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the 'donation' came from a wealthy Arab family.

Kayveas was also asked about the RM2.6 billion ‘donation’ that was allegedly found in Najib’s personal bank accounts.

"Everybody gets donations. I get, too. (For example) I get a donation for an open house event for 40,000 people," he said, referring to his party's Deepavali open house today.

"Nice people donate, so (there is) nothing wrong (with that)," he said.

"I didn't steal the money, I didn't take people's money, I didn't evade paying tax. So, there is nothing wrong (with donations).

"It's not corruption. There's no element of corruption," he added.

The former deputy minister in the prime minister's department also said the motion of no confidence against Najib by opposition leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was nothing more than a gimmick.

"There is no such thing as vote of no confidence in Parliament; this is something new. Why create something new to give the wrong impression?"

"This is BN's prime minister; it is left to BN (to decide). And the prime minister comes from Umno; only Umno can change the leader," he said.

Both Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor attended the open house but they did not take questions from journalists.