Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has yet again been urged to take leave from office to allow a no-holds-barred investigation into allegations that US$700 million from the funds of state-owned 1MDB were put into his bank accounts.
This came after Youth and Sport Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said no minister called for Najib to take leave during the cabinet meeting yesterday.
"Taking leave is not an admission of guilt but demonstrates a conviction on the principle of integrity.
"This would allow the PM to focus on tackling this controversy and not be held back by attending to government duties," co-president of Centre For A Better Tomorrow (Cenbet), Gan Ping Sieu, said.
Under such circumstances, Najib can return to office 'with his head held much higher' than when he takes leave, after the state investigators clear him, Gan ( photo ) said in a statement today.
By doing this, Najib would have set a good example in holding public office and keep a high moral standing in the public eye, he said, adding this would certainly be in the best interest of the nation.
Thus, Najib should consider taking leave of absence pending the probe, he emphasised, adding that this is part of good governance.
"This is the only right and honourable thing to do, so that the investigators will be seen to be truly free and independent to get to the bottom of this damning allegations," added Gan, a former deputy youth and sports minister.
The organisation believes that no one is guilty until proven to be so in a court of law, he stressed.
'Instruct 1MDB and Ambank to sue WSJ'
Given that the court of public opinion can be vicious, the fromer MCA vice-president also urged Najib to take extra steps to clear his name.
Najib should instruct AmBank to set the record straight on the alleged transactions involving his account, as reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), he suggested.
He should also order Bank Negara to state whether or not it was aware of the alleged transactions, since the central bank would be alerted of any transfers of such huge sums of money.
"Instruct or urge 1MDB and AmBank to sue the WSJ for defamation if state investigators clear him of any wrongdoings and the above steps reaffirm his innocence," Gan added.
Cenbet also disagreed with the statements of Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar that they would go after those who leaked the confidential documents.
Rather, they should spend the time to verify the authenticity of the contents.
"This 'killing the messenger' attitude does not help to restore confidence in public institutions and can make the current investigations appear compromised," Gan noted.
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