Forum- Malaysia: Where Do We Go From Here, Kuala Lumpur 06/08/2015

Former deputy minister Saifuddin Abdullah has called on the Umno grassroots to "speak up" at their coming divisional general meetings about their concerns, including on 1MDB and the money scandal surrounding party president Najib Abdul Razak.

The grassroots must keep in mind that it is their responsibility to make sure Umno continues to adhere to their struggles, Saifuddin said.

"To my brothers and sisters in Umno, many of you especially at the grassroots cannot imagine big numbers of money. You become a member in Umno, you work day and night during the elections only because you believe in the struggle of Umno. The original struggle and there's nothing wrong with it.

"In the coming few weeks, there will be many division meetings. My plea for my brothers and sisters is, please speak up," he said in his talk to the gathering at the ‘Where do we go from here’ forum in Kuala Lumpur last night.

He said the country’s civil servants should be impartial so as to strengthen Malaysia’s institutions, especially in difficult times.

Saifuddin’s comments come on the back of intense pressure on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), whose officers are being arrested and questioned by the police.

The dragnet against MACC is over alleged information leaks in its probe into the RM2.6 billion fund transfers to Najib’s personal bank accounts.

MACC has said the money was donation, but this has sparked more questions from Putrajaya’s critics over the origins of the money and whether it came with strings attached.

“We are not asking you (civil servants) to speak up or to go to rallies. We are only asking you to do your job professionally and people will back you,” Saifuddin said.