Prime Minister’s press secretary Datuk Seri Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad today lambasted The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Sarawak Report (SR) for what he described as a ‘vindictive campaign’ against Malaysia. He said it was a disgrace that the good name of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah has been dragged into the foreign media’s attacks on Malaysia.
In a statement today, Tengku Sariffuddin said the deceitful reporting on important national events by the WSJ and Sarawak Report showed that they had no respect for the country, its sovereignty or its monarchy. “For over a month, these publications maliciously reported that the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) had appointed his supposed “1MDB-linked ally” Tan Sri Irwan Serigar Abdullah to be the new Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, despite the fact that no decision had been made,” he said.
He said their lie was exposed when Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim was appointed as Governor this week. “To cover up their lie and international embarrassment, the WSJ and SR then reported that this was a “U-turn” by the Prime Minister following pressure. Also, it was fictitiously claimed that His Majesty had previously signed the appointment of Tan Sri Irwan, and was persuaded to change the nomination, and was angry about this matter. Both His Majesty and Tan Sri Irwan have now publicly stated that this is false,” he said.
As a matter of fact Sarawak Report did not report at all, let alone “for months” that the 1MDB Board Member, Irwan Serigar, was to be appointed Governor.
[Paul Stadlen, since you wrote the release, how about providing a single example of Sarawak Report having written about WSJ’s scoop before the appointment of the Governor? – you can’t because we didn’t]
We merely busted the silly spin after the planned appointment was changed.
Yet the obsession with this trivial matter continues, as the PM’s desperate spokespeople appear to think this is a point to score. Today both the PM’s office and 1MDB no less have both jumped up and down on exclaiming shock and horror about the reporting of their changed appointment, embarrassing their non-appointed Treasury Secretary in the process.
No one believes them, because they have yet to tell the truth about anything else related to this entire affair.
But, far more to the point, why has Malaysia still not heard a word from these self-same officials on the crucially important subject of what the Finance Minister plans to do about the impending disaster over the US$6 billion cross default at 1MDB?!