MP SPEAKS | Yesterday was the last day of the 2018 Budget meeting of Parliament, where MPs were surprised by the tabling of the 830-page Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on forex losses by Bank Negara in the 1990s but no debate was allowed in Parliament.

The RCI report was dated Oct 13, 2017, when it was presented to the Yang di Pertuan Agong.

Can Prime Minister Najib Razak explain why the RCI report on the Bank Negara forex losses in the 1990s was not presented in Parliament earlier in the intervening seven weeks and why there was no debate in Parliament?

It is obvious that the purpose of the RCI into the Bank Negara forex losses in the 1990s was not so much to find out the truth as to the forex losses about a quarter of a century ago, but to distract national attention from the greatest financial scandal in Malaysian and even global history, the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal which for the past few years had continued to make international headlines about its monstrous corruption and criminality involving top Malaysian leaders, including “Malaysian Official 1” (MO1).

The RCI into the Bank Negara forex losses in the 1990s had a second objective, to persecute and harass Pakatan Harapan leaders like Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim who posed a serious political challenge to Najib – and this is proven by the police report lodged by the RCI secretary, Yunus Ismail based on the RCI findings.

The Bank Negara forex losses RCI recommended that formal police investigations be carried out against those involved in the Bank Negara forex losses in the 1990s, in particular, Mahathir and Anwar, but the question all Malaysians are asking now is why there is no RCI in the 1MDB international scandal, which has made Malaysia a world laughing stock as a global kleptocracy.

Najib had missed the key lesson of the Bank Negara forex losses in the 1990s – the failure of ministers, top government servants and civil society leaders, MPs and the press (including Najib who was the defence minister at the time), to play their role to uphold the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance.

The Bank Negara forex losses RCI is exhuming an elephant’s carcass from Mahathir’s era, but why are we missing the elephant in the room – the 1MDB scandal which has brought Malaysians the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy?

The RCI was asked to determine whether there were elements of deliberate concealment of facts and information and misleading statements made to the cabinet, Parliament and public regarding the forex losses in the 1990s.

But the question all Malaysians are asking is whether there is not only the deliberate concealment of facts and information to mislead the cabinet, Parliament and public regarding the 1MDB scandal, but downright corruption in the 1MDB scandal which the RCI had not been able to establish in the forex losses.

Do we have to wait for a quarter of a century, some time in 2040 or NT2050 before the whole truth about the 1MDB scandal can be told?

The next general elections will be held in the next 100 to 120 days.

If Harapan forms the government in Putrajaya in the 14th general election, it will form an RCI into 1MDB scandal in the first 100 days and seek international co-operation to clear and cleanse Malaysia of the ignominy and infamy of a global kleptocracy.

LIM KIT SIANG is DAP Parliamentary Leader and MP for Gelang Patah.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.