Should letter that betrays Malaysian interests be protected? Kit Siang asks Najib
Thasha Jayamanogaran
Malay Mail27 July 2018
DAP MP Lim Kit Siang (pic) accused Datuk Seri Najib Razak of glossing over actions taken by officials and his associates on behalf of the government during his administration. — Picture by Ahmad ZamzahuriMore
PETALING JAYA, July 27 — Amid spotlight on a leaked letter to the US’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang challenged former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today to state if the government should protect a document that betrays the country’s rights and interests.
The Iskandar Puteri MP accused the Pekan MP of glossing over actions taken by officials and his associates on behalf of the government during his administration that ended with the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s defeat in the May 9 general election.
“But even more pertinent, is Najib saying that a document which is treasonous and treacherous betraying the rights and interests of Malaysia to another country deserves to be protected as a secret government document?” Lim asked in a statement.
He was referring to the letter said to be penned by Datuk Hasanah Abdul Hamid, then director-general of Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation, a division in the Prime Minister’s Department, to CIA director Gina Haspel, seeking support for Najib’s leadership ahead of the elections.
Yesterdday, Najib told Lim to stop “obsessing” over him and call for an investigation instead into the leaked confidential document, which he insisted he had no knowledge of, though he played down as an agency-to-agency despatch, adding that such missives were government secrets.
The veteran DAP politician chided Najib for attempting to teach him what to do.
“Najib said I should call for investigations over the leak of Hasanah’s letter to CIA and plug it instead of being obsessed by him.
“I do not want to be rude, but Najib should be aware of the idiom not to teach grandmother to suck eggs,” Lim said.
He told Najib to stop pretending ignorance over the misappropriation of funds in 1Malaysia Development Berhad, claiming the latter’s credibility was now shredded because of his failure to handle the financial scandal.
