DAP predicts political fund meet will be axed

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang thinks the national consultative committee on political funding will suffer the fate of the Special Task Force

DAP elder statesman Lim Kit Siang believes that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s National Consultative Committee on Political Funding was nothing but a cynical ploy to buy time for a whole year to continue to avoid and evade the principles of accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance on the twin scandals of the RM42 billion 1MDB loans and RM2.6 billion in Najib’s personal accounts. “Najib has said that there are currently no laws regulating political funding or donations and thus the public can’t pass judgment yet.” 

“This is a shocking example of Najib’s warped perceptions of what is right and what is wrong – a Prime Minister who has completely lost his moral authority and compass and ceased to distinguish between right from wrong.” 

Lim, who is also DAP Parliamentary Leader and Gelang Patah MP, wants to warn all stakeholders that at the end of a year of “consultations” on political funding, the whole initiative on the national consultative committee on political funding could run into the ground and produce no results. 

“This is what happened to the multi-agency Special Task Force set up to investigate the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal and the RM2.6 billion in the Prime Minister’s personal accounts,” reminded Lim. “It was run into the ground and disbanded.” 

“Even Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail was arrested and there were arrests or harassment of top officers in MACC and Bank Negara by the police and the Public Services Department.” 

Najib suffers from a grave case of trust-deficit, warned Lim. “He’s making a grave error if he thinks Malaysians suffer from an equally serious case of judgment-deficit.” 

“All Malaysians can see through what Najib was up to when he proposed a National Consultative Council on Political Funding to come up with proposals and guidelines, within a year, for the next General Election.” 

Najib wants to buy time for up to one whole year to be able to continue stonewalling on the various financial scandals, reiterated Lim. 

There are at least three reasons why Najib was not sincere in wanting to have transparent and accountable political funding to ensure integrity and transparency about the funding: 

Firstly, Najib was not truthful when he said that six years ago, he had suggested a law for political funding but was opposed by DAP. “DAP was never approached from anyone in the Umno/BN government with regard to a law to regulate political party funding,” said Lim. “As DAP Parliamentary Leader in the past six years since Najib became Prime Minister, I was never contacted by anyone in his administration on a law to regulate political party funding.” 

Secondly, said Lim, his belated proposal for political party funding was nothing but a smokescreen to avoid and evade accountability and transparency on the RM2.6 billion deposited in his personal bank accounts in March 2013 just before the 13th General Elections. 

Thirdly, Najib’s proposal lacks credibility, legitimacy or morality in naming Paul Low as Chairman and Idris Jala as the Deputy Chairman of the National Consultative Committee on Political Funding. 

Indeed, said Lim, Najib could not have made the proposal for a National Consultative Council on Political Funding at a worse time, for though the concept that funds for political parties are sourced with integrity and in a transparent manner was right, proper and deserves support, his timing of such a proposal could only ensure its rejection or reception with great skepticism. 

“This is why the Bar Council has announced that it would not be part of the National Consultative Council on Political Funding as it wants investigations into the RM2.6 billion found in Najib’s private accounts to be completed first,” said Lim. 

He quoted Malaysian Bar president Steven Thiru as saying: “The discourse on these new laws should await the completion of the ongoing investigation into the transfer of the funds. This is, in particular, because a donation is still within the definition of ‘gratification’ under the MACC Act 2009.” 

“This is not the time to indulge in side issues that could be perceived as a smokescreen to cover up wrongdoing in this matter.”

Source : FMT