MP SPEAKS | Tanjong Piai had a special guest today, BOSSku, who came without his outriders not to campaign for the people of Tanjong Piai, but for his own agenda – to claim innocence in the 1MDB scandal and the hope to be Prime Minister again

Monday, November 11, will be an important date for BOSSku and Malaysia, for the Kuala Lumpur High Court will be deciding whether he walks free or will be ordered to enter his defence for seven charges of abuse of power, corruption and money-laundering involving RM42 million of funds from SRC International.

Already, many Malaysians are very upset why the former Prime Minister is still not in jail and is free to roam all over the country, but the Pakatan Harapan, in our pledges in the last general election to rebuild the nation and fulfil the hopes of Malaysians, committed ourselves to five pillar-promises, one of which is to carry out “institutional and political reforms”.

This means the restoration of the important principles of the rule of law and an independent judiciary.

If we put the former Prime Minister in jail without upholding the important principles of the rule of law and an independent judiciary, we will be violating our Pakatan Harapan election pledges, and we will be no different from the previous Barisan Nasional Government which brought to Malaysia the infamy, ignominy and iniquity of being regarded by the international community as a global kleptocracy.

We do not want to return to the infamy, ignominy and iniquity of Malaysia as a global kleptocracy – a rogue and kleptocratic state!

Kleptocracy, arising from the 1MDB scandal and the host of other rampant corruption in institutions like Felda, Felcra, Tabung Haji and MARA, is something which all Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, revolted against in the historic decision in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018.

What is shocking and most reprehensible is that there are former Barisan Nasional Ministers, MPs and leaders who still defend BOSSku in the 1MDB scandal.

They claim in Parliament and outside that the 1MDB scandal is unproven, although in several countries except Malaysia, bankers and finance officials have been convicted, and even jailed for corruption, criminal breach of trust and money-laundering in connection with the 1MDB scandal.

The most recent outstanding 1MDB development in a foreign country is the US$1 billion settlement by a 1MDB scandal mastermind, Jho Low (above), with the US Department of Justice with regard to the litigation to forfeit 1MDB-linked assets in the United States and the United Kingdom.

At first, in the first few months after the historic “509” general election, Barisan Nasional leaders tried to keep a distance from BOSSku and the 1MDB scandal.

This was why in the Balakong State Assembly by-election in Selangor in August last year, where MCA fielded a candidate, BOSSku promised to stay away from the Barisan Nasional campaign.

But in the Tanjong Piai parliamentary by-election, when BOSSku made his visit today, the happiest person was the MCA candidate, Wong Jeck Seng (below), who was in the very forefront to welcome BOSSku, and who could not hide his excitement and jubilation at the support BOSSku had given to his candidature.

BOSSku was regarded as “poison” by MCA in the Balakong by-election campaign last August, but in a matter of less than a year, BOSSku is regarded as a “gem” by the MCA in the Tanjong Piai by-election campaign!

Wee Jeck Seng’s support for BOSSku today is as good as an endorsement of the 1MDB scandal and the infamy, ignominy and iniquity Malaysia suffered by being regarded by the world as a global kleptocracy under the previous regime.

The question is whether the voters of Tanjong Piai are going to emulate Wee Jeck Seng to endorse BOSSku and his role in the 1MDB scandal, and to undo the historic and even miraculous decision of May 9, 2018 for Malaysia to make a clean break from the past of a global kleptocracy to become a leading nation of integrity in the world.

Now I understand why in his two terms as Member of Parliament for Tanjong Piai from 2008 to 2018, Wee Jeck Seng had never raised a single question about the 1MDB scandal in Parliament, although only the blind, deaf and dumb would not know about the 1MDB scandal as it continued to make international news and waves in 2015, 2016, 2017 and the first four months of 2018 until “509”.

I shudder to think what would have happened to Malaysia if there had not been a historic decision on May 9, 2018 to end the kleptocratic government in Malaysia.

I shudder the more to think what is the future of our children and children’s children if after 18 months of “509”, we allow Malaysia to backtrack from our difficult path to become a leading nation of integrity in the world to fall back as a global kleptocracy!

LIM KIT SIANG is the MP for Iskandar Puteri. The above is a speech made at a Pakatan Harapan ceramah in Pekan Nenas on November 9, 2019.

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