My Response to the 1MDB Scandal

It's Famous...

Yes, it is. It's everywhere in the international news at the moment. But it doesn't mean that it's true. People always ask me what I think about 1MDB. I say that it's a company owned by MOF. Then they ask me about the man on top. I say that every person is innocent until proven guilty. People tend to stifle a laugh when they hear that. 

1MDB has been in the international news recently. 

Recently I went to a lunch. Some old gentlemen of ages past were tucking into their meal while laughing about the issue. One of the old fellows said that he had gone overseas on a tour. When people got to know that he's from Malaysia, they told him that they admired our PM. Why, the old man asked. The reply: "He has very thick skin."

1MDB is being vilified in the foreign press. A number of banks have gone under because of it. A major accounting firm has decided to preserve its good name by ceasing to act for it. And so, it seems that things have become serious. 

Some Jokes I Heard

Yet, there are people who laugh at it. That is good, because life without laughter is dull. 

At a recent Hari Raya open house, a woman told me about a man who walked into a bar. The man sat at the counter and called out: "1.... M.... D.... B!" A hush fell over the partygoers and the patrons of the bar. The bartender cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me sir, can you repeat your order?" The man looked at him and said, "One .... More .... Draft ... Beer!" 

I guess that joke can only be told to people who drink beer. With a population of more than 50% Muslim, that would be an offensive joke.

Then somebody asked me what 1MDB stands for. I didn't want to criticize the company, and so I said: "1MDB is what you get after walking from the first floor, to the mezzanine floor, to downstairs, and then to basement. 1 .... M .... D .... B!" 

The Finance Minister Post

In this country, the Prime Minister holds the position of the Finance Minister as well. It was a practice started by Tun Dr Mahathir, and carried on by his successor, the present Prime Minister.

The post of Finance Minister is quite powerful as the said minister helms the Ministry of Finance. In turn, the MOF controls MOF Incorporated, which owns 1MDB. 

Here is the SSM search report for 1MDB. It's a little outdated, but the contents speak for itself.

When this whole scandal broke out, I felt that the Finance Minister should resign. And then I realised that the Prime Minister is the Finance Minister.

It would be great for our country if the Prime Minister can relinquish his post as Finance Minister, and appoint someone else to take over the ministry. He should have done that from day one, so that in case of any shortcomings, he could have fired the Finance Minister and replace him.

But that cannot happen now, when we are caught in the thick of things.

Maximum Terms for Prime Minister

There is a tendency for people in positions of power (and sometimes, leadership) to want to hold on to their position, long after they should have arranged for a successor. Tun Dr Mahathir famously ruled Malaysia for 20-odd years, and is a good example of that, although technically speaking Tun Dr Mahathir merely led the country's government and it was the Yang DiPertuan Agong who ruled the country.

So when someone asked me about the Prime Minister being the Finance Minister, I said that there should be a maximum term for our Prime Minister. Maybe two or three Parliamentary terms should be sufficient for him; after all, the Presidents of the United States of America only sit for two terms of four years each.

And if it is implemented, then our Prime Minister will one day reach the end of his term and he will step down. And then he can be the Finance Minister while someone else plays the part of Prime Minister.

So how about a maximum of two (or three) consecutive terms in Parliament before a man has to give way to others? (In actual fact, the YDPA chooses a person who, in his estimation, is likely to command the confidence of the members of Parliament.)

A Shorter Term for Parliament?

I once wrote a poem appealing for a shorter term for Parliament. Five years is just too long. The machinery gets tired. It'd be great if we could cut down Parliamentary terms to only four years.

Want to read the poem? Here it is, on Medium.

My intentions for writing this article are irrelevant.

We Don't Have An Impeachment Procedure

It's true. There doesn't seem to be any procedure to impeach a Prime Minister in our Federal Constitution. I'm just grateful that all our Prime Ministers to date have been such wonderful gentlemen of high integrity, but if the day comes that an opposition leader becomes Prime Minister, there will be a serious need for an impeachment procedure: So that we can get the lousy Prime Ministers out.

But that can only happen if the present Prime Minister allows for an impeachment procedure to be put in place. I hope that the present Prime Minister does the needful.

We need to come to terms with reality

When the Hague recently ruled on the South China Sea dispute between China and Philippines, one of the Chinese ministers said on TV that they hoped the ruling was only a piece of paper and that the problem would go away by itself. (I saw it on TV.)

To me, that China minister was not accepting reality. They should appeal, or they should obey it. Pretending that it doesn't exist does not solve the problem. Worse yet, China's relations with ASEAN members is jeopardized.

And so it is with the 1MDB situation. We need to come to terms with reality. It's out there, and the governments of other countries are out to fix the Prime Minister. 

Maybe there won't be any big repercussion. One of the articles I read about the 1MDB in the local press said, under KARI, confiscated monies and riches are repatriated to the governments from which they are stolen. If I read that right, the money will be coming back to Malaysia, land of the Golden Khersonese. If that is the case, then I hope that the money gets repatriated quickly, back to the coffers of MOF.