Najib accuses Guan Eng of ‘guesstimation’

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak portrayed Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng as reckless in discussing Malaysia’s financial state, claiming the latter was using “guesstimation” to arrive at key figures that could move markets.

The former prime minister also accused the rival Pakatan Harapan of playing politics with the country’s debt in a bid to avoid delivering the promises of its election manifesto, which he previously derided as unachievable.

“Yesterday, the finance minister has continued with his inaccurate ‘guesstimates’ when he said that 1MDB’s current debt is RM50 billion — which he vaguely says ‘includes interest’ — a figure higher than the RM30 billion and RM38 billion that he had given in the past week,” Najib wrote of Facebook and referring to 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

“The elections are over. You have won and we have lost. The focus should now be to safeguard our country’s economic growth, jobs and financial stability — not playing politics with inflated ‘guesstimates’ to provide an excuse for not delivering on PH’s manifesto as per your promised timeline,” he added.

On the 1MDB’s debt, Najib told Lim to be forthright by disclosing that this was offset by assets worth up RM30 billion and that another RM14 billion was guaranteed by another foreign government.