Digging Holes and Moving Earth.

It’s impossible to talk about something else, without touching politics of the day. The politics I mean involves 1MDB, an issue which will never subside until the perpetrators of this scandal are punished.

There was fraud from the beginning. The JV with Petro Saudi was an act to swindle money from Malaysia. It would appear that people in 1MDB made that fraud possible. That would suggest complicity.

Money was paid into a shell company. Money was transferred into an account belonging to another person. The amount was slightly more than USD1 billion.

The amount made the earth moved under somebody’s feet. From then on, in an attempt to cover up, more financial holes were created that got 1MDB into deeper shit. The earth was indeed moved when more holes were dug. 

I hear some accountants say the value of the assets owned by 1MDB is around RM20 billion only and never got close to RM51 billion as claimed. The figures were massaged to make them appear comforting.

The liabilities- loans, bonds, derivative loans amount to RM49billion. If that is so, then, 1MDB is really RM30 billion in the red. The value of its assets if fully liquidated can never cover the loss. In the end, the government will have to bail it out.

1MDBcannot shake off the perception that it’s now insolvent. It claims it has assets but yet cannot repay its loans. How can it service its interests on loans that many amount to RM2 billion a year? Will it able to honour the value of its bonds when they mature?

Clearly, the PM as the final authority over 1MDB’s transactions is panicking. He will not cause this problem to go away by listing out the wrongs created by Mahathir. He should know two wrongs do not make a right.

He is equally liable over what Mahathir did because he was also on the ship that Mahathir commanded. He too made hay while the Mahathir sun shone.

He helped Mahathir win the 1987 battle with Tengku Razaleigh because he had no choice. Mahathir had one up on him and I am sure in the days to come, Mahathir will expose why Najib betrayed Tengku Razaleigh at the last minute.

 He is not fooling the people any longer. The wrongs created by 1MDB will never be erased even if Jho Low returned the money or if the PM forces GLCs to buy 1MDB’s assets at overpriced values, or sell down 1MDB’s assets. These after the fact measures will never erase wrongdoings, embezzlement, CBTs and all that. 

Let’s take an example. When Felda bought over hotels in London by paying an extra RM100 million, that overpayment is not excused by saying- don’t worry, the cost including that extra RM100 million has been recovered as a result of better business. The hotel business is booming and revenue is increasing.

Even if all the cost is recovered, the fact that RM100 million was artificially created clearly with the intention to defraud Felda, the wrongful act, will not go away. Fraud was committed and it’s not erased by later events. If business if good, then it’s fortuitous.

Same as in the case of 1MDB. Fraud, embezzlement, cheating, dishonest dealings are not erased even when all the total costs are recovered.

I hope these people understand all these. Wrongs are not corrected by after the fact fortuitous events and deceptive measures.

It appears that this is what is happening at the  very moment. The Arabs which 1MDB paid off to forfeit their option to buy up to 49% of businesses to be listed by 1MDB now becomes the white knight to help 1MDB? The second finance minister has no shame to announce that help has come from this white knight.

Then we urge him to be brave and tell the public the terms and conditions of the help given by the Arabs. Which arm and leg do we give up? The terms and conditions can be expected to be onerous since having paid off the ah long, it seems they are the only financier willing to touch 1MDB which has since become a leper. Surely they will demand more onerous terms since they know that 1MDB has no one else and 1MDB is in distress!

Arul Kanda may have disappeared for a few days running back to his former employers, asking for help while denigrating Najib and the stupid Malaysians at the same time.

JHo Low was probably in town to meet up PM Najib to tell the latter that he is making steps to reimburse the money he has taken. That will allow PM to later declare that he has fully recovered the money that went to Good Star Limited.

Let’s talk about other important issues. Such as the much hyped 11 Malaysia Plan. That will be continued in another article.