WSJ allegations against Najib Razak a test for Malaysia's judiciary

Prominent blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin said the controversy kicked up by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) expose last week which implicated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is a stress test for the country's judiciary.

"It will test the principle that nobody is above the law in our country," he wrote in his blog today.

He said precedent had been set by the prosecution of prominent politicians since the time of Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Among cases Kadir cited were of former cabinet minister Abdul Rahman Talib, former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Harun Idris, and former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as examples of those in positions of power who were taken to court.

He said Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail now has his task cut out for him in handling the allegations made by The Wall Street Journal.

"The question here now is, does Abdul Gani really want to bring all those involved, including Najib, to justice?" the former New Straits Times (NST) group chief editor questioned.

He said Abdul Gani shoulders a heavy responsibility as the information he has before him is also available to other agencies like the police and Bank Negara.

"Some of the information and relevant documents have also been leaked and is in the hands of third parties, including the foreign media," Kadir said.

Commenting on the formation of the inter-agency task force now looking into alleged misappropriation of funds linked with embattled strategic development company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Kadir believed the team is in a position to get to the bottom of things.

He said this is because the agencies, working together, would less likely be subjected to coercion or threats, compared to if they were working separately.