Arul Kanda explains 1MDB to Sungai Besar voters

SUNGAI BESAR: 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) president Arul Kanda Kandasamy made an appearance in a forum session with civil servants to explain issues on the debt-ridden company ahead of the Sungai Besar by-election this Saturday.
The forum, meant to serve as a discussion on current national issues, also featured National Civics Bureau (BTN) director-general Datuk Ibrahim Saad and Bukit Aman's Counter Terrorism deputy director SAC Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.
The forum was organised by the Prime Minister's Department, under its Implementation Coordination Unit, and saw participation of around 100 civil servants at Sekolah Agama Menengah Pasir Panjang here.
Also present was Barisan Nasional candidate Budiman Mohd Zohdi.
Among other matters touched in the two-hour discussion session were security issues as well as misuse of the internet.
In the discussion, Arul Kanda assured the audience that all the alleged wrongdoings connected to 1MDB was only the work of the opposition to hype up the issue.
He added the rationalisation plan which had been initiated to reduce 1MDB's debts would eventually resolve all the disputes surrounding the company.
"The government has taken the initiative to ask the National Audit Department to conduct a probe on 1MDB, and the report was tabled to the PAC (Public Accounts Committee)," he said.
"Currently, there is only one investigation being conducted on 1MDB, which is by the police. To me, 1MDB is no longer an issue," he added.
Arul Kanda even encouraged the audience to pose him questions, stating that there were no questions that he had failed to provide answers to.
He denied allegations that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced last year to cover the debts incurred by 1MDB.
"The GST issue has been politicised. The reason GST was introduced was to change the taxing method in Malaysia," he said.
He also refuted claims of a link between the RM2.6 billion donation and 1MDB, as several investigations initiated could not prove any links.
"The National Audit Department and PAC report could not find any evidence that 1MDB funds were paid into the prime minister's personal account," he said.