Najib will triumph. Be very afraid, ex-aide says to enemies
Najib Razak has been on trial accused of abuse of power and money laundering. His former aide says he will triumph in the end.
PETALING JAYA: If former prime minister Najib Razak really was the mastermind behind the theft of 1MDB-linked billions, why has only a miniscule fraction of the stolen money been linked to him?
That’s the question asked by Najib’s former political communications consultant Romen Bose in a forthcoming book.
He writes that the RM42 million found in Najib’s personal bank account that supposedly belonged to SRC international amounted to “only about 0.22% of the US$4.5 billion (RM18.6 billion) that US prosecutors say was supposedly looted from 1MDB” and reasons that “it must be that the remaining 99.8% of monies allegedly looted from 1MDB went to the actual mastermind and his accomplices”.
Bose questions whether a more likely explanation would be that Najib was made the fall guy in a complex plot to rob the state investment agency, with those truly responsible paying off officials to keep the prime minister in the dark and planting the RM42 million so that if the plan fell apart, “it would be Najib left holding the bag”.
PETALING JAYA: If former prime minister Najib Razak really was the mastermind behind the theft of 1MDB-linked billions, why has only a miniscule fraction of the stolen money been linked to him?
That’s the question asked by Najib’s former political communications consultant Romen Bose in a forthcoming book.
He writes that the RM42 million found in Najib’s personal bank account that supposedly belonged to SRC international amounted to “only about 0.22% of the US$4.5 billion (RM18.6 billion) that US prosecutors say was supposedly looted from 1MDB” and reasons that “it must be that the remaining 99.8% of monies allegedly looted from 1MDB went to the actual mastermind and his accomplices”.
Bose questions whether a more likely explanation would be that Najib was made the fall guy in a complex plot to rob the state investment agency, with those truly responsible paying off officials to keep the prime minister in the dark and planting the RM42 million so that if the plan fell apart, “it would be Najib left holding the bag”.
Romen Bose.
After all the attacks against Najib since the scandal first became public, Bose said that he sees a changed man even if he has not seen Najib since Barisan Nasional lost power in 2018.
“He is still a gentleman but he has learned a lot in the past few years and this, together with his vision and ideas, will stand him in good stead in the years to come.
“I have always known that Najib had the fire within him to fight and the country has seen that he will fight. I think Najib’s enemies, all those who conspired against him including those in Umno, should be worried because he will not give up and he will not give in.
“I am certain he will triumph in the end. His enemies should be afraid. I would be.”
The key to Malaysia’s political stability
Looking further forward, Bose wrote that the only path to stability in the peninsula involves the Chinese- and Malay-based parties working together to form the government, sharing political and economic power in turn.
“Although other minorities like the Indians will make a difference, the greatest impact will be from Malay-Chinese relations rather than (between) any other racial groups in the peninsula.
“And it is true that east Malaysians have their own concerns and this includes the implementation of MA63. However, I believe all this can come in at a later stage as primarily, cooperation between the Malays and Chinese will form the foundation upon which relationships with other races can be built.”
He said that this is a “win-win” for both communities, avoiding the racial disharmony that a totally Malay-run government could usher in, and giving the Chinese the chance to enjoy the spoils of power.
Bose said this was the basis of Najib’s 1Malaysia agenda, National Transformation Programme and New Economic Model, which he felt would elevate the country and benefit all.
“Ironically, when he first reached out for support for these policies, the people who were most likely to benefit from them were the ones who voted against him, forcing Najib into the arms of those who were willing to vote for him but wanted more conservative policies and thus Najib having to water down these attempts in a bid for political survival.”
Bose’s book ‘Final Reckoning: An Insider’s View of the Fall of Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional Government’, includes details of how the prime minister and his team navigated the barrage of criticism and scrutiny lobbed in their direction when news of the 1MDB scandal first broke in 2015.
After all the attacks against Najib since the scandal first became public, Bose said that he sees a changed man even if he has not seen Najib since Barisan Nasional lost power in 2018.
“He is still a gentleman but he has learned a lot in the past few years and this, together with his vision and ideas, will stand him in good stead in the years to come.
“I have always known that Najib had the fire within him to fight and the country has seen that he will fight. I think Najib’s enemies, all those who conspired against him including those in Umno, should be worried because he will not give up and he will not give in.
“I am certain he will triumph in the end. His enemies should be afraid. I would be.”
The key to Malaysia’s political stability
Looking further forward, Bose wrote that the only path to stability in the peninsula involves the Chinese- and Malay-based parties working together to form the government, sharing political and economic power in turn.
“Although other minorities like the Indians will make a difference, the greatest impact will be from Malay-Chinese relations rather than (between) any other racial groups in the peninsula.
“And it is true that east Malaysians have their own concerns and this includes the implementation of MA63. However, I believe all this can come in at a later stage as primarily, cooperation between the Malays and Chinese will form the foundation upon which relationships with other races can be built.”
He said that this is a “win-win” for both communities, avoiding the racial disharmony that a totally Malay-run government could usher in, and giving the Chinese the chance to enjoy the spoils of power.
Bose said this was the basis of Najib’s 1Malaysia agenda, National Transformation Programme and New Economic Model, which he felt would elevate the country and benefit all.
“Ironically, when he first reached out for support for these policies, the people who were most likely to benefit from them were the ones who voted against him, forcing Najib into the arms of those who were willing to vote for him but wanted more conservative policies and thus Najib having to water down these attempts in a bid for political survival.”
Bose’s book ‘Final Reckoning: An Insider’s View of the Fall of Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional Government’, includes details of how the prime minister and his team navigated the barrage of criticism and scrutiny lobbed in their direction when news of the 1MDB scandal first broke in 2015.
"why has only a miniscule fraction of the stolen money been linked to him?"
ReplyDeleteThe principal initiator and beneficiary of the 1MDB and SRC frauds were Jho Low and his Arab accomplices.
Najib , as the most powerful man in Malaysia at the time and key 1MDB decision maker , inside the Malaysian Government apparatus , was the key and essential facilitator.
Najib was really not greedy.... wakakakaka..., he actually spent "just" a few hundred million on his person, and total a few Billion flowed through his personal bank accounts.