KUALA LUMPUR: The series of roadshows on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) has achieved its objective, with more and more people beginning to understand and accept the issues now.
1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy said the open approach taken and the presentation of facts without emotional influence has helped make the series a success.
“Malaysians want explanations and information based on facts, not speculation influenced by emotions. Even though it is difficult for me (to control my emotions), I try to explain things the best I can.
“I, too, sometimes fell ‘geram’ (irritated) because I am only human. But it is clear that following this series of informational roadshows, people are happier, so our objective has been realised,” he told reporters after the latest roadshow in Taman Lucky in Bangsar.
Arul Kanda said 30 roadshows had been carried out so far in the peninsula and he had received much positive feedback.
“In the six to eight weeks, I have been to every state in the peninsula. At the beginning of each session, tensions are a little high... there were many ‘hot’ questions, there were some who weren’t satisfied at first, but in the end, everything always turned out for the better.
“In fact, they would applaud at the end and there were some who would come up to me to exchange phone numbers,” he said.
On the audit of 1MDB’s accounts, Arul Kanda said no timeframe had been set.
Recently, audit firm Parker Randall which had been newly appointed by 1MDB had been given access by police to several original documents which had earlier been seized, including ledgers and payment vouchers.
Arul Kanda said auditors were currently going about their work, adding that this was not a normal regular audit.
“That is why they have not been able to give us a timeframe for the completion of the audit. However, we have asked them to complete the process as soon as possible,” he said.
In the session earlier, there were some tense moments as those in attendance argued amongst themselves over what language Arul Kanda should use to address them.
He had been speaking in English when some people claimed they could not understand him. Some asked for the session to be conducted in Bahasa Melayu while others asked for it to be done in Tamil.
Arul Kanda, however, managed to calm things down and then continued his presentation and the subsequent question and answer session in English.