Former prime minister Najib Tun Razak has once again taken to social media after Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng wanted Najib to explain the drop in the government’s Consolidated Revenue Account.
In another lengthy Facebook post, Najib listed down a number of questions in response to the Minister of Finance’s question.
His post translates,
“It seems that Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng is still not satisfied with the answers and figures I have given about our country’s economic affairs. Due to this, I am posing 17 questions to help him and the public understand the reality of why the Finance Minister is suddenly putting the blame on me.”
He then listed the following questions:
1. Is it true that the government lost RM30 billion or more in this year’s revenue due to the 3-month tax holiday prior to the reintroduction of the sales and services tax (SST) after GE14?
2. Is it true that GST input tax claims soared after it was zero-rated in June 2018?
3. Is it true that Malaysia is the only country in the history of the world to abolish GST and revert to SST, when more and more countries are moving to GST to improve their national competitiveness? Is it also true that the prices of some goods have increased since the reintroduction of SST?
4. Is it true that the current petrol prices in Malaysia are less than that of Saudi Arabia, who produce 20 times more oil in one day compared to Malaysia?
5. Is it true that since GE14, foreign direct investments (FDI) for the second quarter of 2018 fell to RM2.84 billion (which is the lowest since 2008) from RM11.98 billion compared to the first quarter and RM8.66 billion for the previous year, our gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.5 per cent for the second quarter of 2018 below than what was projected, the Ringgit fell by 30 sen compared to the USD, billions of Ringgit in investment and capital shares from Malaysia while national reserve Bank Negara Malaysia fell from USD$110 billion monthly to USD$103.9 billion until 15th September 2018?
6. Is it true that the biggest burden on the nation’s finances for 2019 is the annual loss of RM40 billion following the abolition of GST and increases in bulk subsidies?
7. Is it true that the cancellation and delays of various projects have resulted in the losses of new and existing jobs apart from the shrinking of economic growth resulting in economists expecting the country to fall into a recession in the near future?
8. Is it true that apart from claims of Pakatan Malaysia being bankrupt 10 years ago that the former government was not efficient in managing the economy, BN has consistently succeeded at decreasing the budget deficit annually, increasing BR1M, raising wages of government employees and the minimum wage, and sustaining our GDP growth making it one of the highest in the world, even surpassing Singapore in 2011, while also increasing exports every year? Is this why Guan Eng stated last week that Malaysia’s economy is still stable?
9. Is it true that taking over me and the previous government is the easiest excuse for your ‘difficult decisions’ for the upcoming year’s budget, where it is predicted that financial help for the rakyat will be halted, government loans will rise and our economic growth is predicted to be lower even though this is actually a consequence of policies, bad planning, and your own mismanagement?
10. Is it true that, as I have mentioned twice earlier, it is impossible that the united government’s money was only at RM450 million at the end of April 2018 because there was always a two-month “buffer” as a paycheck and pensioner of around RM8 billion a month and I have asked Guan Eng twice to give an answer for the table below to show the rakyat how it happened but never answered?
Source: Najib Razak | Facebook
11. Is it true that if these allegations of there being only RM450 million left are true, you have access to the government’s account and it is easy to find out how the money was spent? Why ask me?
12. Is it true that apart from alleging that more than 1.5 million people will be affected by the non-refundable LHDN claims, not one Member of Parliament has voiced this issue for the past 10 years and it has never become a problem until now?
13. Is it true that you only know that there is a sum of RM35 billion for GST and LHDN claims after 3 months of becoming Finance Minister and coincidentally, after you know there is a high jump in GST input claims after it was zero-rated in June 2018?
14. Is it true that I have repeatedly asked you to start the RCI against ‘losing RM35 billion’ due to the large amount, but you never gave an answer?
15. Is it true that contingency liabilities have been reported transparently every year, including under the BNM account and that it also proves that the previous government has never hidden any debt or contingency liability?
16. If it is true that the national debt is at RM1 trillion as you have claimed and we are on the brink of a financial crisis, why have all international financial rating agencies, IMF and the World Bank, given us an A-rating? Can you (Lim Guan Eng) please state openly that these agencies are not competent or have somehow conspired with the previous government to lie to the world?
17. Guan Eng has also stated today (23rd September) that there is no link between oil prices and the Ringgit despite various studies and analysis that say otherwise. Maybe Guan Eng is too lazy to read, maybe he can refer to the graph below (I drew it because maybe he’s lazy to read?)
Source: Najib Razak | Facebook
“I cannot deny that Guan Eng is a talented politician, especially when it comes to twisting and blaming others to convince his supporters, but this is a real economy based on facts and figures and will affect the lives of 31 million Malaysian citizens, as well as the future of this country. No amount of manipulative statements can help if your management and policies are bad.”
Meanwhile, Lim Guan Eng has yet to respond to Najib’s questions, so stay tuned for more updates.
What are your thoughts on the 17 questions Najib posed to our Finance Minister? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Najib Shares Bank Receipts As Proof That Saudi King Donated RM415 Million to Him
