MIC voiced concerns over 1MDB in cabinet, president says

MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said he had voiced his concerns over alleged scandals involving state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in a cabinet meeting. Dr Subramaniam, who is also the health minister, said that he fully supported the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, but felt that more effort should be made to explain the allegations. "Explanations must be done continuously. Members of the cabinet have voiced objections (regarding 1MDB). "We must solve the issue and we must give a good explanation, but sometimes, the people may not accept or may ask questions. "We must still continue (to give explanations)," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today after attending the nomination process for candidates in MIC's upcoming election for central working committee positions. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, has been under pressure over 1MDB, of which he is advisory board chairman. 1MDB has debts of RM42 billion and has been accused of various dubious deals that have resulted in its debt, part of which is backed by a letter of support from Putrajaya. Two cabinet ministers – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal – who had been publicly vocal against Najib's handling of 1MDB, were dropped from the cabinet in a July reshuffle. Dr Subramaniam today said, however, that despite questions over 1MDB, the opposition was taking advantage of the issue to table a no-confidence motion against Najib in the Dewan Rakyat. "We will support Najib in this. It is just a political issue that the opposition is trying to play up. They will not succeed," he said. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail filed the no-confidence motion last Thursday at the office of Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia. The Speaker has said the motion would not be debated in the current sitting as any motion had to be submitted 14 days before the start of a sitting. The present sitting started last Monday. Pandikar had also asked opposition lawmakers to submit a list of MPs who would support the motion, to see if they had the numbers before approving it for debate. – October 25, 2015.]]>