
A Malaysian Muslim woman holds up a placard translating “Capture M.O.1” during a rally calling for the arrest of Prime Minister Najib Razak in Kuala Lumpur. Pic: AP.
NEARLY a thousand Malaysians led by student protesters took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur yesterday to demand action against an unnamed official at the center of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.
The official known only as “Malaysian Official 1” or “MO1” for short was named in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed last month to seize more than $1 billion (RM4 billion) in assets allegedly bought with money siphoned from 1MDB, a state-owned firm.
The DOJ has not expressly confirmed the identity of “MO1” but the country’s opposition leaders and anti-government dissidents insist that it refers to Prime Minister Najib Razak, who oversees the fund.
Unhappy with the prime minister’s repeated denial of his alleged involvement in the scandal, student leaders rallied yesterday to pressure the authorities into taking action against the leader.
During the afternoon gathering, the group of protesters led by student representative Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof defied police orders and marched towards Dataran Merdeka or “independence square” all the while chanting “catch MO1”. Read more