Why aren’t you supporting govt probe on forex scandal now? Kit Siang asked


Azalina Othman Said

(MMO) – De facto law minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said hit back at Lim Kit Siang today, questioning the Opposition lawmaker’s seeming reluctance to support a government probe into the central bank’s scandalous multi-billion dollar losses from foreign currency trading in the 1990s.

In a statement, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department reminded the Gelang Patah MP that he had been one of the staunchest critics to question the losses back in the day.

“DAP adviser, Lim Kit Siang should be the first person to support the task force agreed upon by the Cabinet.

“This is the best opportunity for Lim to raise the motion brought in 1993 and 1994 on this issue in the Dewan Rakyat. He should come forth to help the task force to analyse all the relevant facts. Or was he confusing the Dewan at that time?” she asked.

On Wednesday, the federal Cabinet announced the set-up of a task force comprising government agency representatives and various experts to relook the Bank Negara Malaysia forex scandal.

Azalina said the Cabinet’s decision was proof the government is “open to all matters that are of national importance” and would investigate the matter thoroughly.

“The government will uphold the rule of law principle in investigating any matter to ensure no misuse or misappropriation happens in the nation’s administration.

The Pengerang MP added that the government is a strict adherent of the basic justice principle of “innocent until proven guilty”.

Lim previously accused the Mahathir administration of covering up the RM30 billion in losses that BNM accrued from playing the forex market and demanded, among others, for an RCI and a government White Paper on the matter.

He also wrote a book titled The Bank Negara RM30 Billion Forex Losses Scandal in 1994.

Lim had used the forex scandal as well as that of Bumiputera Malaysia Finance Limited (BMF), another recently resurfaced controversy, to attack the Mahathir administration.

The DAP parliamentary leader and former nemesis Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have since become allies after the former prime minister resigned from Umno and formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, which is allied to the Pakatan Harapan pact.

 



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