Today Minister DS Salleh Said Keruak alleged that Pakatan Harapan was politicising the decision to setup a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to determine the truth behind the foreign exchange losses suffered by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in the 1980s and 1990s.

This is pure spin by the minister. He fails to acknowledge that Opposition Leader DS Dr Wan Azizah had welcomed the propose RCI, and even DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and PPBM’s Tun Dr Mahathir welcomed it. 

So, in actual fact, no opposition leader has to date rejected the BMF RCI. The only caveat is that Pakatan Harapan leaders also said that – alongside the BMF RCI – an RCI must to be established to investigate the 1MDB financial scandal, which is something that many are clamouring for.

Yet why did Salleh purposely paint a false picture about Pakatan Harapan leaders as he did today?

Perhaps he means to deflect and distract from the massive international media onslaught caused by the latest US Department of Justice civil suit on the alleged 1MBD financial scandal, as well as the return of gifts and jewels by international celebrities. The entire 1MDB affair has been major embarassment for Putrajaya and Malaysian Official 1, to say the least.

If anything, Salleh’s false accusations against Pakatan Harapan today reveal how much of a threat the coalition is to UMNO-BN. I, too, don’t doubt that it is possible the ruling coalition will pull out all the stops in order to remain in power – they may even attempt to imprison more opposition leaders, politicians and activists.

But the movement for change is fast gaining momentum. And a minister of miscommunication like Salleh can’t stop the tidal wave of reform that is fast approaching.

Fahmi Fadzil
KEADILAN Communications Director

30 June 2017