‘OPPOSITION HARPING ON 1MDB HALF-TRUTHS’
It’s habitual of them to do so, says Arul Kanda
THE opposition is not painting the whole picture, but only capitalising on sensational half-truths about 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) for political mileage.
For example, 1MDB president and chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy said, the opposition had gone to town with the United States’ Department of Justice’s (DoJ) civil suit against 1MDB to disparage the government.
“The DoJ suit is a hot issue, but the civil suit has only been filed. We don’t know whether it is valid because it hasn’t gone to court even though it was filed in 2016,” he said, adding that it was made worse by the fact that even the international media had picked it up.
He said the media was driven by the need for sensational stories to attract readers.
“There has been no hearing, appeal or decision. The department has also applied for a postponement of the suit. The opposition is clearly using this to make the government look bad. It’s clear that 1MDB business issues have been politicised,” he said in a live session on the Friends of Barisan Nasional’s Facebook page yesterday.
Arul Kanda said the opposition’s peddling of half-truths was habitual.
“It claims that the national debt of RM686 billion is high and the country will become bankrupt. But, it fails to measure it against the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“When we use this yardstick, we find that it is 50. 8 per cent of the GDP. This is all right because during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time, it was 103 per cent.
“The figure also means that the government has reduced the necessity to take loans in stages, while also reducing the national debt. Our deficit budget is being reduced in stages.
“Most journalists do not have a technical background in accounting, law or banking and accept what is given. I have a legal, accounting and investment banking background so when I see the issue, I can answer with facts and let others make their own judgment.”
He said the opposition and the international media had also harped on the list of people mentioned in the suit and made them out to be guilty even before the case was taken to court.
Arul Kanda urged the public to verify any information that they received or wished to share.
He asked them to visit www.arulkanda.com to get answers on 1MDB from a reliable source.