BALANCE OF RM2.6 BILLION DONATION REFUNDED

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

 

I was quite surprised for the Prime Minister to take such a long time, and to choose a new Attorney General, to 'reveal' to the public as to who the donour was or donours were of the RM2.6 billion.

 

When the news was spread that the donation was being made by an Arab, I instantly wrote or spoke, somewhere earlier of the following, of my imagination on the following possible sources: 

 

a) A member of the Arab royal family, or

 

b) An Arab who is being paid a few million dollars to admit that he had donated RM2.6 billion.

 

It would be difficult to pin-point 'that' generous member of the Arab royal household as there are hundreds, if not thousands, of them. The idea of a search was also closed when the Prime Minister said that the donour would like to be anonymous.

 

It would not be difficult to find a good looking, well dressed, tall and smart looking Arab to pose as a donour if a few millions are paid, to just claim that he alone, or as a member of a group, donated the amount, without him having to pay even a single cent.

 

I did not mention of any possible Arab businessman making the donation, as I know the like of Walid Ibn Talal, having received his honorary doctorate at the International Islamic University Malaysia, when I was the President, as being too smart to waste his money on the like of the Prime Minister. 

 

Tun Dr. Mahathir had revealed that it was difficult to get donations from any Arab country even to build the campus of the International Islamic University Malaysia. He further said that he could not even get a respond to his many requests for a small donation, in addition to what Malaysia had contributed, to complete the renovation of the Islamic Centre at Oxford University.

To me, the recipients of his appeal letters must have had the opinion that Malaysia, being a prosperous country, need not have to make such appeals, or each recipient must have thought that other recipients of such appeal letters must have contributed.

 

Of course Malaysia of old could fund, and did fund, without having to borrow, to complete the two projects at Gombak and Oxford, but the appeal letters were meant to invite participation in such novel undertakings.

 

Suddenly, I read a comment that 'even a mad Arab would not make such a donation'. This comment was followed by an article in an Arab newspaper with the 'approximate' heading 'WE ARE NOT AMUSED WITH THE RM2.6 BILLION DONATION'.

 

In other words the Arab population itself did not believe of the possibility.

 

During the same period it was claimed that the donation, besides being made to fund the 13th General Election, was also meant as a 'thank you gesture' for Malaysia's success in fighting the IS terrorists. This later claim was not followed through as IS existed AFTER the donation was being made.

 

As to funding the 13th General Election, there were admissions by a few prominent individuals of having received between one to two millions ringgits.

 

It is around this time that the Prime Minister stressed of his preference for loyalty rather than ability for someone to be in the government.

 

How could the Attorney General deal with such a situation.

 

Obviously he is appointed on the assumption that he would be loyal, whatever the cost may be. If ability is the preference, the former Deputy Attorney General, Tan Sri Shafie Abdullah would have been promoted to the post of Attorney General. Tan Sri Shafie of course would not like to make a fool of himself after winning the case in the trial of 'Sodomy 2'. It would be better for Tan Sri Apandi to do the dirty job first.

 

In accordance with the Societies Act, political organizations must declare their statement of accounts, and are not allowed to receive funds from foreign sources as that would mean foreign political interference into local politics.

 

As I was in the Ministry of Home Affairs when the above provision was made, I made a statement asking 'What if China, or an ANONYMOUS generous Chinese businessman from China decide to donate more than RM2.6 billion to the DAP for the 14th General Election.

 

There is no way for the Prime Minister to deny that the RM2.6 billion was received by him. He admitted and even those who received a little bit of it were in praise of the amount received from the so called Arab.

 

UMNO leaders, will of course admire such a gesture from the anonymous Arab donour, particularly a little bit of it went to them.

 

The question then was what happened to the rest.

 

In order to put the case to rest, bring in the Arab royal family, as it sounds Islamic and declare that the balance was REFUNDED TO THE ANONYMOUS DONOUR.

There is now a ripple of protest as to the reason for the donations to be refunded when it could be used for the benefit of the people.

Some suggested that the donation for BN to defeat PAS who were then associated with the Egyptian Ikhwanul Muslimin, particularly when Morsi had just taken over the government of Egypt. Now that PAS appears to be closing in with UMNO there is no fear of the Ikhawanul Muslimin factor.

Such argument might be acceptable to the more ignorant population.

 

The only new thing in the whole scenario is the word REFUND.

 

In summary: AN ANONYMOUS MEMBER OF THE ARAB ROYAL FAMILY (FROM ANY NATION STATES IN THE MIDDLE EAST) DONATED RM2.6 BILLION TO NAJIB TO FUND THE 13TH GENERAL ELECTION, AND THE BALANCE, AFTER DEDUCTING THE EXPENDITURE, WAS REFUNDED TO THE ANONYMOUS DONOUR.

 

IS THIS BELIEVABLE WHEN IT TAKES SUCH A LONG TIME TO THINK OF?

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL  MADE THE FOLLOWING COMMENT ON PENSION FUND AS FOLLOWS:

The government headed by the PM, finds the finance ministry, headed by the PM, not complicit in allowing 1MDB, headed by the PM, to finance the political party, headed by PM, to allow the pension fund of the government headed by PM to transfer money into the account owned by the PM. Sounds Ok to the AG appointed by the PM.

Such write up is not likely to be helpful to the future of Malaysia under Dato' Seri Najib's leadership.