Students stage protest against Najib over alleged fund transfers

People signing a petition to urge Najib Razak to step down, at Sogo Shopping Mall, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, July 11, 2015.
A small group of varsity students today held a protest near the city centre, urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak to declare his assets and to to counter The Wall Street Journal's expose on billions of ringgit allegedly channelled into his personal accounts.

About 30 students from Gerakan Mahasiswa Selamatkan Malaysia also demanded that the prime minister explain whether the alleged transfers took place or not.

Najib also needed to state whether he had used the money for his party, Umno, besides saying that he had not used it for personal gain, the student group's chairman Muhammad Luqman Nul Haqim Zul Razali said.

"Embezzlement  is not a small issue; it is not something to which we can simply close our eyes,"

"This is a big issue and as Malaysian citizens, we need to demand for our rights," he told passers-by who stopped and listened to their speeches outside the Sogo shopping centre.

The group also launched "Kempen Undur Najib" campaign by urging the public to sign their names on a banner.

One passer-by, Azizi, who signed the banner, said he no longer had faith in the Malaysian government.

"I don't believe in our government. They don't deserve to lead the country," he told The Malaysian Insider when asked why he signed the banner.

The students also held placards that read "We love our country", "From Putrajaya to Jail" and "Step Down Najib".

Another passer-by, Syafiq from Petaling Jaya, said he signed the banner because the scale of alleged corruption had become worse.

"The corruption is more apparent now. It is better for Najib to step down rather than being ousted," adding that he was also concerned about Malaysia's debt levels and effect of the goods and services tax (GST).

Student activist Fahmi Zainol gave a speech at the protest and said today's gathering was the first of others planned nationwide.

The protest ended with students singing songs and urging the public to leave their signatures on the banner.

There was minimal police presence today, with only two officers spotted.

The WSJ on July 2 reported that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) had been transferred to Najib's personal bank accounts in stages.

The business daily subsequently uploaded to the Internet documents it had cited in its report, which showed instructions for telegraphic transfers and charts on the money trail.

A special government task force probing the allegations has confirmed that Najib had two accounts at AmIslamic bank, and that the accounts had been closed.

Najib has since denied taking 1MDB funds for 'personal use,' but has not commented directly on the transfer of the money into his accounts.

- TMI