“Give me a one-hour slot in RTM for me to debate with Premier Najib Abdul Razak over 1MDB,” says former Batu Kawan division vice-chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan.

Khairuddin made this challenge to Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak, in order for the people to actually know about 1MDB and its problems.

“If Najib is man enough (to show he is right), then I challenge him to debate with me over 1MDB for an hour.

“The show must be done live over RTM and I want Salleh to look into this request. I am challenging Najib openly now to debate on 1MDB,” he told Malaysiakini, adding that the debate can be done at any time.

The former Umno leader was responsible in lodging reports in Singapore, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Hong Kong on 1MDB resulting in seven countries to probe the Malaysian sovereign fund.

Khairuddin was asked to respond to a question whether Najib is seen as consolidating his powers despite the fallout of the 1MDB scandal, which has gone international following the action filed by the United States Department of Justice two weeks ago, and following that he made this challenge.

He said Najib is actually weak and that is why he has removed police officers, as well as taking action on the Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission officers investigating him and also the Bank Negara governor or removing the attorney-general.

“Anybody involved in the 1MDB investigations, all have been eliminated (habis). They have been dismantled.

“He may seem to be consolidating his position with the actions. To me Najib is not strong but he is in a weak mode and as a result of this, he has to take actions which are against the law to protect all his misdeeds (with regards to 1MDB).

Khairuddin warned that Najib’s actions are only temporary, and only in this world.

“It would not last long-term as Najib may cheat millions of people, but fundamentally in the end he would eventually face Allah where he would have to answer,” he said.

‘Najib destroying Umno’

The former Umno leader also said that it is not the people outside Umno who are destroying the Malay nationalist party and country, but it was leaders like the Umno president who are destroying it.

“The weakening of Umno is not due to outside forces but it is caused by such leaders who imploded Umno from inside,” he said.

Look at the present state of the economy in the country, and also investors are shying away from the country as a result of 1MDB, he said.

He hence lauded the action taken by Zahid Md Arip of Gerakan Undur Najib yesterday to file a court action to challenge the confidentiality of the final report on 1MDB.

This 1MDB imbroglio needs to be unraveled further as there is no purpose to have investigations but later for it to be kept under wraps or a secret, Khairuddin said.

“If Najib is not guilty, then why keep it confidential?” he asked.

On his move not to join former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s new party, Khairuddin explained that he did not want to be restricted within the party framework.

“I am not gunning for positions or political posts but would like to work out on this cause. If you are in a party, you maybe restricted due to party discipline and hence, you cannot say this thing or that,” he said.

He also denied that he had a rift with former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“I do not have any quarrels with Muhyiddin as president (of the new party) and I respect him. But as I said, I do not want to be tied up within the realm of the party,” he said.