Amidst the internal drama that has been unfolding since the Election Commission confirmed what we already knew — that the opposition had won, won big, and Najib was on the way out — a woman’s Facebook post went viral after being posted less than 12 hours ago.
So why did this one woman’s thoughts have so many people interested? Maybe because the woman in question was Azrene Ahmad, daughter of Rosmah Mansor, Najib Razak’s wife, and someone who is not shedding any tears about seeing her family voted out of office.
Azrene is Rosmah’s daughter from her first marriage, though very little is known about that time in the former first lady’s life. She also has one brother from that union, Riza Aziz aka the guy who produced The Wolf of Wall Street with ill-gotten 1MDB gains. More on that later.
Her lengthy post is both heartbreaking and intriguing.
Azrene writes that she initially looked up to both parents, and how paradoxical it felt to be standing on the other side. Her disdain for her mother is palpable, and she splits no hairs in portraying her stepfather as a man not only controlled by his domineering wife, but also taken over by his own greed.
She alleges that her mother was abusive to her – emotionally, mentally, physically. It would be years before she could recognize the abuse, and when she did, she saw that her mother’s abuse extended to Najib as well.
While public speculation over the former PM’s wife was always verging on the incredulously sensational — she was showered in diamonds, she practiced practiced black magic –Azrene’s post all but actually confirmed this.
Suitcases weren’t just used to travel, they were stuffed with money, she claimed, passed on to the next person they were trying to curry favor with, or the latest backroom deal. Najib wasn’t even aware of some of these transactions, she said.
Coming and going from the house were witch doctors, shaman and aesthetic doctors. Rosmah would use the perceived otherworldly powers of the mystics to cast spells, and wish evil upon those who crossed her.
Accounts were open in banks around the world, money spent “like it was water,” and steel safes were filled with jewels and precious stones.
Azrene was used as a mule, asked by her mother to carry money, crystals, whatever she needed moved around.
Appallingly, she speaks of her mother’s attempt to sell her into marriage to “the highest bidder,” or simply anyone with perceived power, to further her mother’s own social and political ambitions.
She writes that as Najib’s power within the country grew, so did her family’s thirst for money. She claims she stayed until she could bear it no more, then went into self-imposed exile, cutting ties with the family.
Finding a man that she wanted to marry for love, not power nor money, her mother and “her collaborators” as she calls them, began to harass her new family, she alleges. According to her, her own mother used the government, civil servants, media, and members of Parliament to make life difficult for her husband, herself and their family.
Frustrated, she spoke directly to the former PM, who she says not only refused to help, but also covered up his wife’s misdeeds. She claims that he “turned a blind eye and a deaf ear” because he was too scared of the diminutive Rosmah.
Interestingly, she alleges that Najib was initially unaware of the “malignant” forces at work in 1MDB. However, when he was made aware, he did nothing to stop it, and instead the whole family got in on the action.
Billions went missing, and Azrene writes that they were not just used to fake a fancy Hollywood movie and buy shiny things with – the funds were used to bribe, extort, silence, maim and even kill individuals that crossed the family’s path.
This is some heavy, heavy stuff. From a layman’s perspective, many of the things she brings up have been offered up for public scrutiny, and consistently met with steadfast denials by the former PM. The giant yacht? Nope – that baby was bought with lunch money. Millions in personal accounts? Super generous gift. Billions gone out the fund? Bad business deal – sorry about that!
She finishes her lengthy statement by reminding both her estranged mother, step-father and blood siblings (Riza Aziz) of what she told them before cutting ties: That one day the people would rise, and their crimes would be exposed. That they would reap what they have sown (it seems to be a field of sh*t, if Azrene is even half-accurate), and not a penny less.
Many Malaysians have been calling for thorough investigations to be done into the 1MDB scandal on their social media accounts.
Yes, Najib was cleared of any wrongdoing, but only after he fired the attorney who wanted to charge him, and in his place installed a puppet. Seems like the US Department of Justice remains pretty certain he’s involved.
Tun M has consistently said he will not be seeking revenge on the past regime, and sure – no one wants revenge, but there is a wide sense of Malaysians wanting justice. Prime Minister Mahathir(!) has said that he will return the rule of law to the country. Let’s see if that law extends to the former PM and his family.
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