Muhyiddin urged to step in, pressure Najib to go on leave

PETALING JAYA: The student council of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has urged Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) to pressure the Prime Minister to go on leave. 

This follows the allegation made by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that RM2.6bil of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds had been transferred into Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s personal bank accounts. 

"Muhyiddin must urge Najib to take leave until the investigation involving the Prime Minister is completed, with the Deputy Prime Minister taking over his position temporarily,” said council president Hanif Mahpa. 

The student council also want an independent royal commission to be set up to investigate all issues involving 1MDB. 

“Muhyiddin should also suggest to the Prime Minister and the Malaysian government to sue WSJ to deny the allegation," it said in a letter signed by 13 other IIUM student associations on Monday.

The students hoped that swift action would be taken by the government in implementing their suggestions. 

The student council said that it would not hesitate to launch a massive protest if the government failed to clear the allegation and reportedly stop the misuse of public funds.

On Saturday, Muhyiddin called on all agencies, especially the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara and the police, along with the Attorney-General’s Chambers to investigate all allegations made against Najib. 

He said these allegations had attracted the interest of the rakyat and the international media, and that it was a matter of public interest. 

WSJ and Sarawak Report published an article on Friday quoting an "unnamed investigator", claiming that almost US$700mil (RM2.6bil) of 1MDB funds went into Najib's personal accounts. 

The Prime Minister's Office responded by saying that the article was "political sabotage”, while the 1MDB insisted that no funds had been transferred to Najib's accounts. 

Najib had also refuted the claims, maintaining that the allegations were a political ploy engineered by his opponents in an attempt to topple him, among them former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. 

The Prime Minister had also referred WSJ’s allegations to his lawyers.

The New York-based publication, however, insisted that their investigation was based on solid documentation.