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Prime Minister Najib Razak stands defiant in Malaysia's 'Game of Thrones'
Sydney Morning Herald - March 5, 2016
In a dramatic escalation of tensions in his Muslim-majority nation, Mr Najib said 58 signatories to a declaration pledging to plot his ouster, including veteran former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, "have demonstrated the depth of their political opportunism and desperation."
"There is an existing mechanism to change the prime minister. It's called a general election," he said. "And it is the only mechanism that is lawful, democratic and fulfils the people's will."
Politicians from Mr Najib's long-ruling party were among the group that came together in an unprecedented show of solidarity across Malaysia's political divide, the latest development in a political tumult that even Mr Najib's own brother has described as Malaysia's 'Game of Thrones'.
"We call upon all Malaysians, irrespective of race, political affiliation, creed or parties, young and old, to join us in saving Malaysian from the government of Najib Razak," the group said in a statement read by Dr Mahathir.
Members of the new alliance also demanded the remove of people close to Mr Najib who they said had covered up for the prime minister in a corruption scandal that has dogged him for months. They also demanded the repeal of laws that violate fundamental rights and the restoration of institutions they said had been undermined.
Mr Najib's immediate response to the declaration that was signed by anti-corruption activists and members of civil society groups, as well as politicians, made clear he has no intention of buckling to the pressure.
The 62-year-old British-educated son of a former prime minister has for months resisted growing calls to resign over allegations linked to the debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and deposits of hundreds of millions of dollars in his personal bank accounts.
Mr Najib last year replaced the former attorney-general who had been investigating him, installing a loyalist who ordered the country's anti-corruption agency to shut down its investigations into the allegations. Mr Najib has also cracked down on critics and media outlets, prompting a rare, stern rebuke from the United States, a close ally.
And powerful division chiefs in the ruling United Malays National Organisation, who have for years benefited from an entrenched system of money politics and party largesse, have refused to move against the prime minister, who denies any wrongdoing.
Earlier jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim declared his backing for the Dr Mahathir-led movement, putting aside Malaysia's longest-running and most bitter political rivalry. Mr Anwar said in a statement from his cell that Mr Najib has "wreaked havoc" in the country with "the most severe scandal" in Malaysia's history.
In 1998 while he was prime minister, Dr Mahathir turned viciously against Mr Anwar, forcing him from the post of deputy prime minister. "We must together chart a new way forward to save our beloved nation," said Mr Anwar, who is suffering serious health problems.
An alliance between Dr Mahathir, who remains an influential figure in the ranks of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) although his authority has waned over years, and Mr Anwar, was unthinkable before the scandal engulfed Mr Najib.
Mr Anwar's opposition group won the popular vote at bitterly contested elections in 2013 but a pro-rural gerrymander saved Mr Najib's party from defeat. Ninety-year-old Dr Mahathir quit the UMNO on February 29, saying he could no longer support a group seen as supporting corruption under Mr Najib's leadership.
Mr Najib has refused to clarify how almost $1 billion came to be deposited into his personal bank accounts in 2013 or to explain what happened to the millions that remain unaccounted for. He has urged the country to unite and move forward after his government said the money was a legal donation from Saudi Arabia.
But the Wall Street Journal has reported the money flowed through a series of international transactions from the 1MDB state fund, which Mr Najib set up in 2009 and oversees through an advisory board. The newspaper has also claimed that more than $1.4 billion was sent into Mr Najib's accounts since 2011 – millions more than previously identified.
Mr Najib's government denied the report, accusing the newspaper of becoming "a willing vehicle for certain political actors who are seeking to damage the Prime Minister and Malaysia for personal gain".
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