Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak accusation that the media twisted the statement of the Mara boss on the Dudley House scandal shows he is trying to disclaim personal responsibility for the approval given to the deal.

This is how DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang inteprets Najib's tweet yesterday, in which the prime minister blamed the media for twisting Mara chairperson Annuar Musa's statement.

Annuar had criticised Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider for reporting that Najib, who chairs the Economic Council, had approved the purchase of the Dudley House deal by Mara Inc, a subsidiary of Mara. Annuar argued this was merely a procedural process.

"I have closely listened to the video recording of Annuar's statement at his press conference," Lim ( photo ), who is the MP for Gelang Patah, said in a press statement today.

Describing Najib's tweet as unusual, Lim said Najib was rather unfair in blaming the media for highlighting Annuar’s statement that the prime minister had personally approved the acquisition.

"(But then,) why is he suddenly so sensitive about the Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider headlines that he had approved the deal?

"Is Najib trying to disclaim personal responsibility for having given the approval?" Lim asked, alluding that Najib was saying that the blame should be be borne by the Economic Council, not him alone.

"May be the apparitions of the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal are at play," he added.

'More questions on Najib's leadership raised'

Australian daily The Age reported on Tuesday that Mara officials had siphoned A$4.75 million (RM13.7 million) as kickbacks from the A$22.5 million (RM65 million) five-storey Melbourne apartment block deal in 2013.

Najib has ordered for the scandal to be thoroughly investigated.

This Mara deal has raised more questions on Najib’s leadership – including whether Najib was personally sending out the tweets or whether it was being handled by his grossly-overpaid but misguided “public relations” consultants, the veteran DAP leader said.

Lim also challenged the members of Najib’s cabinet minister to be brave enough to ask the prime minister to take leave until the various scandals affecting the administration are resolved.

He believes Najib should go on leave until the scandals surrounding 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Felda Global Ventures (FGV), Tabung Haji and Mara's Dudley House scandal are resolved.

He also pointed out to the statement of the cabinet spokesperson on 1MBD, Finance Minister II Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, made in an interview over RTM’s TV1, in which Najib was described as “the final approving authority for all 1MDB decisions”.

This has showed that Najib must accept full and final responsibility for all of the 1MDB actions, Lim said.

He also called for Annuar Musa ( photo ) to resign as Mara chairman over the property scam, which has shamed the agency and the country.

Annuar’s claim that he was unaware of the kickbacks and the inflated price for Dudley House cannot be a defence, he said.

It also did not speak well of the professionalism or competence of Mara or Annuar in having to wait for the expose by The Age before bestirring themselves on the issue.

"Why haven’t all those named and involved in the Mara Inc corruption on the Dudley House scam, who have brought shame to Mara and Malaysia, been suspended from their posts immediately?" Lim asked.