Former Minister of Finance Tengku Razaleigh is today quoted as saying that the Malaysian government “under the leadership of Najib Razak” is managing Malaysia well. As we get older we all may make ill-advised public statements but it is better to be sure of one’s facts before making a statement of any kind.

Has the Tengku, for example, read the US Department of Justice statement about massive thefts from the Malaysian State fund 1MDB? Or the report of the Auditor General on 1MDB, available to all Malaysians in English and Malay for months past? Or does he simply not read any papers or listen to any broadcasts.

All that he has achieved by this latest statement are reactions ranging from senility to self- deception and or futile attempts to whitewash the biggest criminal in Malaysian history. Does he not realise that the shadows are closing in on Najib and that all his supporters will be looked at to see if any of them are or have been accomplices to his crimes.

Of course the Tengku will be able to claim that senility caused him to make such a ridiculous statement. He had better hope that this excuse will be accepted.