YOURSAY | ‘Nazir, it is not ‘quite damaging’, it should be ‘a total catastrophe’ instead.’

1MDB scandal is quite damaging, concedes Nazir

GE14Now!: CIMB chairperson Nazir Razak, perhaps we should just paraphrase your statement about 1MDB being quite damaging to the country and write it as it should be: that Najib Abdul Razak (your brother) has been very damaging for the country.

As a nation we have lost our international standing and reputation and ethically we have become devoid of the moral right to tell people to be honest. It has become very difficult to hold our heads high in the international arena because even if foreigners do not comment on our controversial PM, we know that it is there.

There is a monkey, nay, it's a huge orangutan, on our collective backs and we are left shouldering the shame and infamy that we do not need to. And all because someone wants to feed his wife's every desire.

SSG: I give credit where credit is due. You must have realised that there was something not right in the pricing, etc when there was talk of CIMB merging with RHB Bank and MBSB. Had you dug a bit deeper you would have realised that the methods being used to do so bear a striking resemblance with the takeover of UMBC to form Sime Bank, and we all know what happened then.

As a banker you cannot be excused for overlooking this formula being used. I have great respect for your father and I give you the benefit of the doubt. You should have advised that something fishy is going on to your brother, but for some reason chose not to. It is entirely possible that another method(s) may have then been used to hoodwink 1MDB. Which is what happened ultimately in the 1MDB saga.

Now if you love your country, race and religion, please do advise your brother not to ignore the Interpol red notice. I can assure you that for all the gold in the world it will ultimately not be worth it to Umno and the Malays they claim to represent.

Sadirah: Nazir, it is US$7 million ie about RM28 million. No chicken feed. You may have violated the Anti-Money-Laundering Act. Our regulators have one law for the ordinary man and another for those so-called connected people. Had I done this my goose would be cooked.

You need not even have to face the Inland Revenue Board or LHDN for income received. Where is your own credibility not to say what your brother has done is shocking and he still remains in his position? Power patronage and a lack of moral leaders - nothing halal about what you have done.

If you had an iota of credibility you would have apologised and resigned for the sake of CIMB. But this is not the ethical culture we find in Malaysia. There are so many who will shine your shoes for you at the expense of their own credibility. What more, government-linked companies (GLCs) are a standard of their own.

Jaycee: Oh, please. Stop the drama. If this was a different country, all the people who are involved with the 1MDB fiasco would be in a jail, including the head of the bank who said that he did not know that the millions of dollars parked in the bank from his brother was a donation. And while we are at it, stop making statements in agreement with having a single school system while your children are studying in the best schools abroad.

Ali Baba: Nazir, it is not "quite damaging", it should be "a total catastrophe" instead.

Sacrificing sacred cows on the altar of change

Anonymous_1371572585: Given the scenario of Umno increasingly relying on Islam (and Malays) to stay in power, and an opposition unable to counter the Islamic agenda, and playing the same cards, albeit without the hudud implementation programme, at least for now, there is little hope for a progressive and liberal future for Malaysia.

There are a few Muslims who will stick their necks out to make a case for a secular state, and a few who will reject state role in religious enforcement, but these few are almost outcasts. Many Muslims in Malaysia may privately fear the increasing role of the state in religious affairs but very few will publicly object to implementation of syariah law. Dhimmihood is all that is left for the non-Muslims; perhaps all that MCA, MIC and Gerakan hope for.

Abasir: The country as a whole, both the regime and oppositional forces, has embraced short-termism as the only available ‘solution’ for its multifarious woes. As such, it will, like an incorrigible drunk, continue to lurch from one crisis to another - until it collapses in one unholy heap. Short-term thinking will be the death of this country and all indicators point to the inevitable.

Makkal: The constitutional construct, Malay, is hinged on the one religion, remove that in the constitution and every Malaysian is a Malay.

JD Lovrenciear: The politics of Umno is bulldozing through. Given an opposition clutching at any and every saving measure given its inability to have partnership of leadership, two outcomes are predicted.

One, the non-Umno aligned elite will be packed off to foreign pastures. The middle class (professionals) will move their young and even themselves for gainful employment elsewhere. Two, the country bumpkins, the saviors of Umno's vote bank (as seen in the redelineation strategy), plus the uniformed as well as civil servants (living on charity and under employed employment) will be the pawns. The powers that be continue to lord over and enjoy the larder.

Unless Anwar Ibrahim is unleashed. But it is too late in the day if elections are early next year. The US democrats' return will be the added bonus to current regime here. Indeed a failed Malaysia will be a financial investment saviour for the US.

Mindspeaks: Being progressive, liberal and secular does not stop people from being Muslims as well. This is the idea and thoughts that needs to be preached in order to start changing Malaysia. Fortunately there are many Malays who are doing this now and we need to continue on this till we succeed.

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