Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the main reason for the escalating pressure on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in regards to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the pressure is further intensified by several irresponsible UMNO leaders who have not come forward to throw support behind Najib.

“Najib is facing tremendous amount of pressure now. Dr Mahathir is the main reason together with many UMNO irresponsible leaders,” he told Astro AWANI today.

He said UMNO’s glory days were over and called on UMNO leaders to work together and support Najib and the Barisan Nasional.


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The Santubong member of Parliament also defended Najib and said that he had not lied about 1MDB but was speaking based on the information given to him.

“The Prime Minister did not lie. He was only speaking based on the information given to him. Running a country is not the same as running a company,” he said.

“Don’t take lightly Najib’s responsibilities. If there had been mistakes or factual errors given to him, then he is only going to repeat them,” he said.


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In a written reply to PJ Utara MP Tony Pua on Wednesday, Najib had said the balance of 1MDB investment managed by the Cayman Monetary Authority amounting to US$1.103bil had been redeemed in the form of assets instead of cash.

But on March 10, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, had confirmed in a written reply to Pua that the funds were held in a Singapore bank in the form of cash.

Subsequently, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah clarified that Putrajaya had made a mistake in saying that the 1MDB redeemed its investments in the Cayman Islands in cash, when it was in ‘units’.