After the NYT interview which got an immediate response from Foreign Minister, Dato Anifah Aman [briefly touched here], Bloomberg made negative aspersion of the Malaysian economy and was swiftly responded by Dato Idris Jala.
A day earlier Friday, Wall Street Journal revealed the Genting Group that allegedly got an overprice deal from 1MDB donated sizeable money to Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M). They claimed YR1M was used to fund BN's 13th general election.
It's already June 20th. According to rumours making its round sometime in March-April, Dato Najib would resign by June 30th supposedly due to Sirul revelation that Najib instructed Altantunya's killing.
However, a "surat layang" believed to be concocted by an old guard was prepared with the script of Najib of impregnating Altantunya. And, that brought out a fatal response from Datin Seri Rosmah on Altantunya.
Yummy stuff but will have to wait out the foreign media assault phase.
In Anifah's open letter, he was dead focus on the misrepresented fact in the NYT interview. It wasn't a mile away because he hardly touched on the personal opinion of Tun Dr Mahathir.
The same in for the column on Bloomberg View [read here]. Dato Idris Jala highlighted 9 significant factual errors of William Pesek [read in Barking Magpie here]. Idris concluded with the following stinging words:
Differing opinions are bound to be expressed on Bloomberg View. The defence of “fair comment”, however, does not apply to getting facts so woefully wrong. We would hope that the editors at Bloomberg agree, and will correct or take down such a disgracefully biased and ill-informed article.Earlier, WSJ claimed that "1MDB's funds were used to bankroll Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's campaign in the 13th general election."
The allegation can be summaried as the excess from the over priced purchase of Genting Sanyen (IPP subsidiary of Genting Berhad was rechanneled back as election fund to YR1M via Genting's plantation subsidiary.
The Malaysiakini report available in Wikisabah here. Just Read claimed the WSJ reported that Goldman Sach received fat commission for raising the deal shortly before the GE13 [read here].
1MDB and YR1M are two separate legal entities. Assuming 1MDB, YR1M and the Genting Plantation company underwent due process in which decisions are not solely that of Dato Najib, there is no legal issue for something with a clear separation of time and event to contend with.
The problem lies with the presence of Dato Najib as it allows the simple minded public to connect the dots between the two entities. They will assume and judge it as one plus one equals two and that is all to it.
Off late, it is not facts or accuracy that matters but the need to create doubt and influence the public by viralling the simplistic conclusion.
Nevertheless, the response should not use TV3 to expose more weakness of Proton or some other past expose of Tun Dr Mahathir till a respond from Genting and YR1M is or are made. It just doesn't help Najib's cause or influence public mindset.