Is a Coup Underway in Malaysia?

From today’s Wall Street Journal.…

Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak Says He Isn’t a ‘Crook’

Malaysia leader embroiled in 1MDB scandal seeks to assure his supporters

“If I had wanted to rob, I would have robbed the forest here long ago,’’ Mr. Najib was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama. “I didn’t even take an inch, I didn’t take a single tree in Pahang, I didn’t take the bauxite mine, I didn’t take anything.”.

“I have not changed my stand when I became prime minister,’’ Mr. Najib was quoted as saying. “I will not take the people’s property. Don’t think I am a crook, don’t think I steal the people’s property. I am the prime minister for the people.”

The 1MDB fund has denied wrongdoing and has said that it is cooperating with investigations. Malaysia’s Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali has said $681 million deposited to Najib’s account was a legal political donation from Saudi Arabia and that most of the money was returned. Investigators in two other countries agreed that most of the $681 million ultimately was returned, according to people familiar with the probes.

I’ve been following the coverage of this story in The Journal for months now but something never seemed right about it, perhaps because I was already suspicious that an international element had been targeting Malaysia ever since flight MH370 “disappeared.” (I am convinced it met with disaster as soon as it lost contact https://monicaperezshow.com/2014/03/21/cracking-the-code-on-malaysia-370-the-ping-is-the-thing/.) There were all sorts of mainstream media-promulgated yet highly improbable conspiracy theories surrounding what seemed to be a clear cut accident and I wondered if the reason for that was, among other things, to weaken the long-ruling party in Malaysia before an imminent election. Then when MH17 was targeted over Ukraine, I really started to wonder who hated Malaysia!

I didn’t give Malaysia much thought once that accident fell out of the news, however, until I started reading of accusations of corruption against Malaysian Prime Minister Razak, who is accused of receiving an illegal donation of almost a billion dollars from…wait for it…Saudi Arabia!! Given that Saudi Arabia has been our partner in crime before, and that the story surrounding where the money came from and where it ended up is highly suspicious, I can’t help but wonder if accusations of a coup-attempt are well-founded rather than “absurd.”

Surendran: Absurd to call it a ‘coup’

Malaysia’s PM denies fraud, says ex-PM Mahathir foments crisis

Update (3/25/2016): More bad press from The Wall Street Journal…
Malaysia Considers Caning People Who Reveal State Secrets
Attorney General says ‘we might prosecute journalists who refuse to disclose their sources’

• The WSJ continues to make the Malaysian government look bad (like most governments, it probably is bad, but The Journal is likely targeting it for strategic rather than ideological reasons). This article reveals that The Wall Street Journal itself broke this strange tale of corruption last year. Also of note is that the Malaysian Attorney General doesn’t seem to be doing the current Prime Minister any good…He keeps saying the mysteriously appearing Saudi money was a campaign contribution, which makes him the only one I’ve noticed acknowledging any awareness of the money at all.

Update (3/31/2016): Another FRONT PAGE article in the WSJ…

1MDB Probe Shows Malaysian Leader Najib Spent Millions on Luxury Goods
Accounts of prime minister paid out $15 million for clothes, jewelry and a car

• I’m not saying the guy isn’t crooked, I’m just wondering why the WSJ is after him so hard; plus, the story of the money trail from Saudi Arabia is bizarre.

Update (4/2/2016): The smoking gun leads to Hollywood? Another front page article in the WSJ…

The Secret Money Behind ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’