1mdb Another False Conspiracy Implicating Media

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 For the past few days, I have been reading modified verses from the “Arabian Nights”, “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” and other folklore.
I also read an adapted version of Robin Hood, who, in this case, gave the poor without admitting to stealing from the rich.
But on Friday, the readings switched to non-fiction.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, claimed that international interference had shaped Malaysian public opinion about Najib and sought to destabilise the government through coordinated efforts and biased documentaries.
“This interference is not speculation but well documented,” Shafee (above) told a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur court complex.
This is far from the truth. When Malaysians have to dig deep into their pockets to fill the hole created, they form opinions. Because public amenities are not provided, people who understand that more than RM45 billion have disappeared make their own decisions.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul RazakIt is not the first time that Shafee (above) has accused the media of unfairly reporting Najib’s cases.
During the SRC International trial in 2019, he chided the media over news reports claiming that his client snapped photographs of himself using a mobile phone during proceedings.
“If they want to be the fourth or fifth estate, they shouldn't act like estate people," said Shafee.
I was one of the many who took umbrage to such remarks and wrote: “I wear the ‘estate’ tag as a badge of honour for those who toiled in what were then only rubber estates. Their tenacity is evident from the many professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers and journalists who had estate backgrounds.
“Like thousands of others, my father worked hard, with utmost honesty and integrity. His efforts managed to get us to school and give us a decent education, which helped us advance and made us useful citizens of this blessed nation.”
Blaming the press
Last month, he claimed the Myanmar junta may be protecting fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).
Speaking at an event called “Media Townhall: Getting the Facts Right: The Untold Stories - 1MDB and Other Cases” in Kuala Lumpur, Shafee urged the media to report fairly on Najib’s various criminal court cases.
“The media is the fourth estate. If you fail to do the job to report fairly, justice will fail, and it will fall on your children and grandchildren. You left the system with no checks and balances,” he said.
In an immediate response, the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJM) took Shafee to task over his claim that the media did not fairly report Najib’s RM42 million SRC International corruption case.
In a media statement, the group viewed the claim seriously as every press organisation in the country reported Najib’s court case in depth, whether mainstream or alternative media.
“NUJM is of the view that the media should not be dragged in or blamed over the case involving Najib.
Rewind to 2016 when the US Department of Justice released its report on the financial scandal involving 1MDB, described as “one of the world’s greatest financial scandals” and the “largest kleptocracy case to date”.
Low Taek JhoThen communications and multimedia minister-cum-government spokesperson Salleh Said Keruak dismissed the conspiracy claims.
The US authorities, he said, were only doing their job with the civil lawsuit filed to recover more than US$1 billion (RM4.03 billion) in assets bought with money allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB.
“There is no conspiracy; they are doing their job. When there is a report, they are handling it based on the rules and regulations of the country,” Malay Mail Online quoted him as saying.
When asked, Salleh pointed out the US investigations only involved three individuals named in the lawsuit and did not include Najib.
“No other names are being investigated. It was very clear, I think the attorney-general of the US was very clear in its statement that they're not investigating anybody but the three individuals.
“Our job here is to explain the situation. As far as we are in Malaysia, the 1MDB has been handling it quite well.”
Nevertheless, the “attack dogs” were unleashed and one from Australia even suggested that the DOJ has no jurisdiction over the affairs of this country.
However, it becomes their problem when you use their financial system to launder money and undermine it.
When the media reports the truth, one party will appreciate the independent and fair reporting, while the adversarial party will claim otherwise and cry foul. The media then becomes the punching bag and the fall guy.
Let us not forget that Najib and his supporters used the then-pliant media to report their rebuttals to the DOJ reports, which included an “interview” on television with three editors from the mainstream media.
But it was then the dark days and foreign journalists were deported.
I have always maintained that journalists should not be treated as enemies but as friends.
If the reporting contains mistakes, corrective measures, including a note to the editors, are always possible.
However, grandstanding at a public gathering does little to help but raise questions about the credibility and motives behind such attacks. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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