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Will the ‘Najib recordings’ fray ties between Mahathir’s Malaysia and the Gulf states?
- Analysts say Najib’s alleged request of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince to help cover up the 1MDB scandal is expected to complicate bilateral relations
- The taped calls were revealed amid strained ties between Kuala Lumpur and Saudi Arabia over a summit of Islamic nations last month
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The revelation earlier this month that Malaysia’s disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak allegedly urged a crown prince from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help cover up the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal is expected to complicate ties between the two countries, analysts say.
It came as relations between the Southeast Asian nation and Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the Sunni Muslim world, have been strained since Riyadh saw a summit of Islamic nations in Kuala Lumpur last month as an affront to its standing.
Political analyst Azmi Hassan said he believed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s disclosure of the taped 2016 conversation – which it says is between Najib and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – would be a factor in diplomatic ties, despite its release being aimed at embarrassing Najib.
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“This is due to the fact that the issue discussed in the conversation deals with the internationally known sensitive matter, 1MDB,” he said. “To make things worse, it was disclosed by a government agency which gave the impression that the act, which is diplomatically very unwise, is sanctioned by the government.”
The 1MDB scandal, in which billions of dollars were allegedly looted from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, led to the ousting of Najib in Malaysia’s 2018 general election.
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