KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 - Veteran opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang urged Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to attend the ongoing Dewan Rakyat sitting and clarify to all MPs, and not just a selected few, the truth surrounding the allegations against him.
Lim told reporters in the Parliament lobby this afternoon that Najib was behaving like a “fugitive on the run” by staying away from parliamentary sessions and refusing to answer queries from the Opposition.
The DPM has been faced with mounting pressure over swirling allegations ranging from his involvement in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder investigation to defence commissions for the Scorpene submarines, Sukhoi jetfighters and Eurocopter helicopters.
Lim said that several Barisan Nasional (BN) backbenchers had apparently received an explanation from Najib this morning on the allegations against him.
He noted also that Najib had not denied the SMS exchanges with Datuk Shafee Abdullah who was the defence lawyer for Abdul Razak Baginda, an aide of Najib who is undergoing trial in the Altantuya murder.
“For Najib to satisfy BN MPs requires no effort,” the MP for Ipoh Timur quipped. He emphasised that Najib must meet all MPs, not only BN MPs.
“We'll never be able to get the confidence of Malaysians and the rest of the world,” he said.
Bandar Kuching MP, Chong Chieng Jen who was present at the press conference echoed Lim's call. He related that in a similar case in Sarawak, the chief minister Taib Mahmud who was also surrounded by scandal had made his stand clear in the state legislative assembly.
“It is only proper for Najib to make a ministerial statement in Parliament,” said Chong. “That is the least he can do.”
Meanwhile, Gombak MP Azmin Ali reiterated Lim's repeated calls for Najib to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to clear his name from the scandals.
“We are not making arbitrary allegations. We are not accusing him of being involved in those scandals,” said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president. -- MI
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