Malaysia’s PM is about to steal an election
American officials say he already stole millions from taxpayers
IN MOST countries a government that allowed $4.5bn to go missing from a state development agency would struggle to win re-election. If some $681m had appeared in the prime minister’s personal account around the same time, which he breezily explained away as a gift from an unnamed admirer, the task would be all the harder. An apparent cover-up, involving the dismissal of officials investigating or merely complaining about the scandal, might be the last straw for voters. But in Malaysian elections, alas, voters do not count for much.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Stop, thief!”
From the March 10th 2018 edition
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