Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday replaced his deputy and sacked his attorney general amid a growing scandal that threatens his hold on office.
Malaysian deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who has been critical of Najib’s handling of the scandal involving state-owned development company 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), was replaced, Najib said in a televised address.
The state-run Bernama news agency said Najib also sacked Malaysian attorney general Abdul Gani Patail, who was involved in investigations into corruption allegations related to the Najib-linked company. The prime minister and 1MDB have vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
Photo: AFP
Muhyiddin had repeatedly lent his weight to mounting public calls for the prime minister to answer allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars of 1MDB money had gone missing in complex overseas transactions that have never been fully explained.
Najib appeared to allude to Muhyiddin’s criticisms in announcing his replacement.
“Any difference in opinion is not supposed to be expressed in an open forum, which is against the concept of collective responsibility in the government,” Najib said.
Muhyiddin was replaced by Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Najib said.
Najib has come under mounting pressure over the past year amid a drip-feed of allegations related to 1MDB, which he launched in 2009. He still chairs its advisory board.
The Wall Street Journal reported this month that Malaysian government investigators had discovered that nearly US$700 million had moved through government agencies, banks and companies linked to 1MDB before ending up in Najib’s personal accounts.
The prime minister has denied the report as “political sabotage,” while 1MDB has said it did not transfer any funds to Najib.
The firm is reeling under debt totaling US$11 billion, blamed largely on a much-questioned drive to acquire power-industry assets.
Fears that it might collapse or need a massive bailout have contributed to a recent slide in Malaysia’s ringgit to 17-year lows.
A government statement cited by Bernama said that Abdul Gani’s appointment had been “terminated effective July 27 due to health reasons.”
However, the announcements touched off speculation that Najib was moving to contain the damage from the scandal.
Last week, the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs suspended for three months the publishing permits of the Edge newspaper, which is known for its aggressive reporting on 1MDB, sparking fears of a media crackdown over the affair.
The ministry said the Edge’s reports on 1MDB threatened to disturb “public order.”
The UK-based Sarawak Report, an activist Web site that had also published a series of 1MDB exposes, has also been blocked.
Political experts say that despite public outrage in Malaysia, Najib appears secure within his ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), due to the party’s deep-rooted patronage politics.
Najib, the son of a respected former prime minister, once headed UMNO’s youth wing, which allowed him to build up an extensive network of supporters who now rule the party’s various regional divisions.
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