Kit Siang attacks Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 - Lim Kit Siang wasted no time in pouncing on Datuk Seri Najib Razak's rebuttal to alleged abuse of power.

The DAP Parliamentary leader today scoffed at the deputy prime minister's defence that the SMS exchange with lawyer Datuk Shafee Abdullah over the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder investigation was "a private matter."

Malaysia Today carried a report detailing what it alleged was an exchange of text messages between Najib and Shafee, the prominent lawyer who represented Abdul Razak Baginda, the close associate of Najib who was eventually charged with abetting two police officers in the murder of Altantuya in 2006.

In one SMS, Najib allegedly tells the lawyer that Razak - his advisor - "will face a tentative charge but all is not lost".

"He did not deny the exchange took place. What about the case of P. Balasubramaniam? Does he deny that he had contact with the Inspector-General of Police?" Lim said while debating the 2009 Budget.

Balasubramaniam had made a statutory declaration that Abdul Razak received an SMS from Najib stating that the IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan would "take care" of the Altantuya case.

However, a second SD surfaced in which Balasubramaniam disavowed the first SD, claiming he was made to sign the SD under duress.

Dubbing the finance minister as the "de facto prime minister" in reference to Najib being designated as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi's successor after Umno party polls in March, the Ipoh Timur MP echoed Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's call for Najib to be investigated.

"We do not want just personal belief," he said, referring to Abdullah's defence of Najib in stating that his deputy is a "good person."

"He must be cleared by a Royal Commission Inquiry so that we can be proud to have a 100% clean prime minister. Or otherwise," Lim said.