Damage is done, says minister after anti-graft summit

Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan today admitted that Putrajaya's reputation had been damaged following the drubbing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak received over his US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) donation at a recent anti-graft conference. At the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC), anti-graft activists and experts from around the world demanded that Najib come clean over the money, as well as whether there were strings attached to it. However, the Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications director shrugged this off, saying that the government would continue to focus on settling hot-button issues such as 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and allow the probe into the donation to be completed. "Damage has been done. Yes, we have to settle 1MDB issue. 1MDB will be resolved, whatever challenges that they are facing. From there, we will be able to move on and regain the trust of the people," he told a press conference in Wangsa Maju today. He said the damage was not irreversible, but that the government must keep in mind that the attacks against Najib had come from a "well-oiled machine". Rahman (pic, right) added that the international delegates at the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) should not have criticised Malaysia during a conference that the country was hosting. "It was out of place for them to openly say this. You don't just go out and say, the host country is this and this," he said. The three-day conference in Putrajaya, which ended yesterday, saw delegates such as Transparency International chairman Jose Ugaz demand that Najib explain the funds channelled into his accounts. Rahman said there was no point demanding answers at this juncture, as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) preferred not to publicise their ongoing work. He said the public should simply wait for the anti-graft body to complete its investigations, adding that Najib had himself initiated the probe, which showed he had nothing to hide. The public can also expect Najib to continue explaining his side of the story, said Rahman. "Watch out for the Budget speech in October, and reintroduction of the 11th Malaysian Plan by the end of the year. "I think the prime minister has one or two occasions where he will be able to deliver big policy speeches. "So he will be able to articulate to the people of Malaysia what he stands and what his next steps are," said Rahman. Last month, MACC said Najib had received RM2.6 billion from an unnamed Middle Eastern source for an unspecified purpose. – September 5, 2015.