Speaking to FMT, Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen said he had only one good thing to say about the RCI.
“I have only one positive thing to say about this RCI. It sets a precedence that all public officials will ultimately be held responsible for their actions.
“So to all officials who had a hand in stealing, cheating and concealing the 1MDB scandal, be prepared. The day will come, hopefully very soon, when there will be a RCI on the 1MDB scandal,” he told FMT when contacted.
Wong was asked to give his views on the RCI report on the forex losses, which recommended that the government start formal investigations against officers from BNM, the finance ministry, the auditor-general, BNM directors, Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who were finance minister and prime minister at the time.
The RCI also singled out former BNM adviser Nor Mohamed Yakcop as the person principally responsible.
Anwar was said to have withheld information on the forex losses, while Mahathir was also implicated for hiding facts from the cabinet.
The RCI, which convened for eight days from Aug 21, concluded on Sept 19 after calling 25 witnesses.
Forty-two documents were submitted during the proceedings.
Among the witnesses were Mahathir, Anwar, former BNM governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Nor Mohamed and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.
The report was submitted to the Agong on Oct 13.
The RCI recommended that the police open a case into a possible criminal breach of trust or cheating by various parties, including Mahathir, Anwar, the BNM board of directors, finance ministry officials, BNM officials, and officials from the auditor-general’s office.
Wong said Anwar had, for decades, demanded that the Umno-Barisan Nasional government initiate the RCI.
He said Anwar had consistently claimed he was kept in the dark on the true extent of the losses, “yet the RCI has pinned full responsibility on him for hiding the losses”.
On whether the report would have any impact on PKR and Pakatan Harapan (PH), Wong said it would depend on the government’s next move.
“If the police begin formal investigations and then charge Mahathir, then there will be a political impact. I am not sure if this will help (Prime Minister) Najib (Razak) politically or not.
“If they charge Mahathir, then Najib will risk people viewing this as selective prosecution since nothing is being done on 1MDB.
“Charging Anwar (on the other hand), will be seen as overkill as he is already in prison,” he said.
PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail meanwhile said whether the RCI recommendations would carry weight “will obviously be a political decision”.
“It will be carried out if the driving motive is political. But it does not seem to carry the moral weight in the broader scheme of things.
“Why was there not an RCI on 1MDB in the first place? The anomaly is as broad as daylight. To now have an RCI on forex losses in the 1990s, and yet not have an RCI on a scandal of immediate concern, comes across as a clear abuse of authority,” he said when contacted.
He added that the RCI report would not negatively impact PKR or PH.
“The names of Mahathir and Anwar (being raised) will only make us more acceptable and popular.
“We will prevail,” he added.