Reuters/Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia’s prime minister told his deputy and other officials yesterday to stop commenting on a graft scandal at the country’s state investment fund, saying arguments among leaders would erode support for the government.
The fund, 1MDB, has debts of more than $11bn, and is being investigated by authorities for financial mismanagement and graft. The state-owned firm’s advisory board is chaired by Prime Minister Najib Razak.
“All administrative officials including the deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, should wait for the results of the investigation,” Najib’s office said in a statement.
“Rationally, we should avoid making statements that can roil people’s perceptions toward the country’s leadership, government and UMNO,” the office said, referring to the ruling party which Najib heads.
Late on Sunday, Muhyiddin suggested that Najib should personally explain issues around 1MDB to the public, the Star newspaper reported.
“I want to give you a stern warning that if nothing is done now to manage these issues, Barisan will lose,” Muhyiddin said at an event, according to The Star.
Barisan Nasional, or National Front, is the ruling coalition, of which UMNO is the main component.
UMNO, which represents the majority ethnic Malay community, has led Malaysia’s coalition governments since independence in 1957 and Najib’s office also warned of the political damage the divisive scandal could cause.
“People’s support towards the government and the party will erode if we argue among ourselves,” Najib’s office said.
Discount carrier AirAsia yesterday called for urgent repairs at Malaysia’s new budget airline terminal, claiming the tarmac was “sinking”.
AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes criticised Malaysian aviation officials after a plane came off its chocks, a block that braces the wheel, at the KLIA2 terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, causing an eight-hour delay.
“The wheel was bent because the aircraft went over the chock, because it’s sinking,” Fernandes told reporters.
Since opening last year, KLIA2 has been riddled with controversy, with cracks reportedly forming on the taxiway and faulty design leading to water pools on its grounds.
“The airport needs to be fixed. Fix it and let’s move on,” Fernandes said.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), which oversees KLIA2, had previously acknowledged the airport was located on unstable ground, which could require years of considerable maintenance to address.
MAHB did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
But Bloomberg news agency quoted the company as saying the problems stemmed from uneven soil settlement.
The settling “has been anticipated from the start of construction”, the company was quoted as saying, adding that the airport was addressing the issue by patching and resurfacing problem areas and injecting polyurethane under the ground.
A concrete slab to be completed by next April will provide a more permanent solution, it said.
However AirAsia said permanent solutions must be found quickly.
“We can’t afford to have an airport where it is continuously under construction as it obstructs our operations,” Aireen Omar, chief executive officer of AirAsia, added.
