‘Let BN explain conflicting debt’

PETALING JAYA: Until the RM1 trillion national debt – as claimed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng – is presented to Parliament, it is unfair to dispute the figure given by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

Najib, who was also the finance minister then, had told the Dewan Rakyat last year that the federal government’s debt position stood at RM685.1 billion as of June 2017.

However, in a damning revelation on Tuesday, Lim said the country’s debt had surpassed RM1 trillion, contributed largely by the 1MDB financial scandal and mega projects by the previous government.

Former World Bank economist Dr Lim Teck Ghee told theSun yesterday any dispute over the conflicting figures would be cleared once it is presented in Parliament when it reconvenes, and Barisan Nasional (BN) must be allowed to explain itself.

“Hopefully, the figure provided by the Finance Ministry is the actual figure of the country’s debt situation. But I think we need to wait for these details to come out when Parliament reconvenes.

“Surely there will be clarifications. We need to ensure that this official figure is discussed in Parliament, and the Opposition will have its chance to explain.”

In commending the government for being transparent about the nation’s financial situation, Lim urged that such transparency be applied across other government statistics.