Federal minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (pic) said Datuk Seri Nazir Razak should realise that his words ‘carried weight’ and that he should not trivialise economic issues by posting criticisms on Instagram. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — “Respected bankers” like Datuk Seri Nazir Razak should refrain from using social media platforms like Instagram to express his views about the economy or to criticise the government unless he intends to join politics, federal minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said today.

Abdul Rahman said that the CIMB Group chairman did not have to comment about debt-laden state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) “over and over again”.

“You say it once, people will understand, but if you say it again and again you’re not helping the country at a time when we need confidence in the market,” the urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

He said Nazir should realise that his words “carried weight” and that he should not trivialise economic issues by posting criticisms on Instagram.

“If you hate 1MDB, your brother’s government... say it once, twice, and then hold your peace. If you can’t do that, then join politics,” Abdul Rahman added.

Nazir is the brother of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Umno minister also took to Twitter to express his frustration at Nazir’s statements on Instagram, saying that the banker should have used “official platforms” to convey his concerns about the economy.

“However politically tempting it is, a banker must refrain from making statements which only add to anxiety of the market. That’s paramount.

“Using Instagram to discuss economic issues of great impact to Malaysia is not wise. Use official platform. Don’t trivialise the issues,” Abdul Rahman wrote in a series of tweets via his Twitter handle @mpkotabelud.

Nazir had previously used Instagram to take subtle jabs at current issues, including the economy and the 1MDB crisis.

Last week, the CIMB Group chairman said that Putrajaya must disprove or sue over negative reports by global media as the unflattering coverage was causing markets to view Malaysia more negatively than what it was in reality.

US-based daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Monday reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened a money-laundering investigation into entities linked to 1MDB.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the US Justice Department has convened a grand jury to consider possible indictments for corruption over property purchases worth hundreds of millions in the US by individuals associated with the Malaysian prime minister.

The US investigations are the latest announced on 1MDB by a foreign country, joining ongoing probes in Switzerland, the SAR of Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

The WSJ has published a series of reports detailing dubious activity allegedly involving 1MDB, beginning with an exposé in July on deposits of almost US$700 million (RM3.06 billion) in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal accounts.

It followed up last month with another report alleging that US$1.4 billion in payments from 1MDB to a UAE sovereign fund was missing from the Middle Eastern firm’s accounts.

The July report, in particular, appeared to trigger a series of events in Malaysia that eventually led to the amount being declared a donation from the Middle East, while local investigations into 1MDB were either suspended or repurposed.

Najib has denied any impropriety over the US$700 million donation, which was described as a political donation to the Umno party that he heads.