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Malay rulers’ statement reflects people’s concerns, says Rafidah

The statement by the Malay rulers for speedy closure to controversies involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) reflect the concern and frustration of the people who are not getting answers to their questions, says former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz. Writing on her Facebook page, the Umno veteran said the rulers' statement showed the “pervasive concern and worry of the vast majority of Malaysians”, adding that there was also scepticism from outside the country. She said these doubts were clouding the overall economic and political environment, as people were growing anxious in waiting for answers. Frustrated with the lack of clear answers, Rafidah listed down questions she said authorities should answer. “What's happening to the processes that were started to get down to the bottom of the issues. “Who and which parties are assigned to do all the necessary follow up. “What timelines have been set out for all the processes to be completed. “When will the first comprehensive report be available for the public at large. “But the most asked question is, are the processes actually going on or have they stalled,” Rafidah wrote. She said people would continue to talk about these issues as long as the answers to their questions were not forthcoming, and this would cause confidence to erode further. She added that questioning the issues could not be labelled being 'anti-government' or 'anti-leadership', but were natural reactions to matters that weighed heavily on the country. “Certainly the economy will continue to grow, businesses will continue to operate in the marketplace, but concerns and worries cannot simply be brushed aside. “The government must bite the bullet, do not skirt around the issues, do not detract from addressing the issues. “Let the communication with the people be clear, forthright, honest and with nothing to hide,” she added. 1MDB was the focus of a task force that was investigating the alleged wrongdoing in the debt-ridden firm as well as the transfer of RM2.6 billion to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's accounts. The unit has since been rebranded into the multi-agency National Revenue Recovery Enforcement Team to probe a range of financial crimes, but not specifically focused on 1MDB. 1MDB had also been under investigation by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which has received an interim report on the troubled firm's books from the national auditors. But the PAC probe is temporarily stuck pending new appointments of a chairman and other members. Yesterday, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) cleared 1MDB of any offence related to false disclosures, even after Bank Negara had requested it to reconsider its decision. AGC said in a statement that it had considered the appeal by Bank Negara, which had been investigating the firm, but found that there was no new evidence to warrant action. – October 9, 2015.