COMMENT During the administration of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi , a new tradition was created. While Dr Mahathir Mohamad hogged the limelight in his 22 years as prime minister, Abdullah seldom made public statements.

Especially so, when he was attacked by his predecessor. Former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam called it “elegant” silence.

It was not so elegant of course, when Abdullah had to step down as prime minister after the BN lost its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Today, a new kind of silence is the norm. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, despite attacks from all sides, hardly makes any public statements of any kind. A prime minister who does not articulate his thoughts clearly puts the country in a strange place.

While it is laudable that Najib said he does not lead a “government that knows best” and that he is open to different, even opposing ideas, the facts is that not taking a stand in anything leaves the country rudderless.

Over the last week, Malaysians have been glued to the international press and the Internet for more details about the allegations made against the prime minister by The Wall Street Journal .

As Deputy Prime Minister Muhiyuddin Yassin said, these are personal allegations against the prime minister as the leader of the country.

If left to fester, Malaysia’s credibility will be damaged. Yet, the prime minister has not made any clear and unequivocal statements, other than to say that public funds were not used for personal gain.

What Malaysians want to hear

What Malaysians want to hear is that these bank accounts, bank statements and documents quoted by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) are not true.

While Malaysia has banking laws that prohibit a bank from sharing personal banking details, the account holder can step into the light and declare how much money he has in those accounts.

If indeed the bank accounts quoted by WSJ do belong to the prime minister, all he needs to do is to declare how much he has in those accounts.

In fact, to avoid such embarrassing situations from recurring, Najib should initiate a legal suit against all his accusers including, as suggested in his own Facebook message, his former mentor Mahathir.

There should not be one set of rules for Mahathir and another for the rest of us. If there is really nothing to hide, stepping into the light is the best course of action. More importantly, Najib can take a leaf out of the late Lee Kuan Yew’s book and sue WSJ to clear his name.

Whatever the reason the prime minister has for remaining silent – he must have the patience of a saint – he must seek to clear his name.

As the prime minister, Najib is also the representative of Malaysia on the global stage. We cannot have such a slur made against our national leader without some legal recourse.

Of course, some will suggest that suing the press is not a good idea but herein lies our chance to clear the good name of Malaysia.

Declare wealth to public

Before one gets hauled up for speaking one’s mind, it is worth stating that the prime minister might want to turn this into an opportunity. And, speculation remains wide that Najib is thinking of a cabinet reshuffle.

He might want to ask all those currently serving and who want to continue to serve in his cabinet to follow his example and declare their wealth to the public.

This should also include their immediate family members and close relatives. It is only fair that the same standards that his cabinet colleagues are demanding of the prime minister be applied to them as well.

Going forward, Malaysians are waiting for more information from the authorities regarding the allegations made by The Wall Street Journal and the Sarawak Report .

List them down and debunk them. If no transactions to the tune of hundreds of millions were made, it is the duty of Bank Negara to declare so. In the case of AmBank, the Najib should absolve the bank by allowing it to publish details of his transactions (if indeed he has the same bank accounts as published in WSJ).

If those bank accounts do not exist, then AmBank can easily issue a statement saying so.

The majority of Malaysians are honest and hardworking. We are already having a trying time making ends meet with the fiscal policies introduced by the government to wean us off our dependence on oil and gas.

Prices of goods and services have gone up with the introduction of GST. The economy is not performing well enough for our paycheck to catch up and cushion the impact of the shift to this new broad-based tax system.

Yet, Malaysians go about their lives without rocking the boat. We deserve a leader who is more assertive, transparent and less silent.

Najib should not allow WSJ to demoralise the nation. Malaysia needs a new paradigm of governance to be respected once again. If Najib wants to truly step out of the shadow of Dr Mahathir, then he should step into the light and clear his name.

NEIL KHOR completed his PhD at Cambridge University and now writes occasionally on matters that he thinks require better historical treatment. He is quietly optimistic about Malaysia's future.