‘Baseless and Far-Fetched’: Yeo Bee Yin Defends Rafizi, Slams Allegations of Personal Gain in RM1.1b ARM Deal
KUALA LUMPUR – Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin has come out in support of Malaysia’s RM1.1 billion semiconductor collaboration with UK-based Arm Holdings, dismissing allegations of impropriety and rejecting claims that former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli or his team personally benefited from the agreement.
In a statement shared on her Facebook page, Yeo explained that her parliamentary remarks on the deal were made from a policy and strategic standpoint, stressing that her disagreement was not intended to suggest any corruption or personal gain.
“As a policymaker, I spoke in Parliament to express my disagreement and my hope that the government would reconsider the ARM deal—primarily concerning matters of policy and strategy,” Yeo said.
She condemned accusations that Rafizi and his team profited personally from the deal, calling them “far-fetched” and “baseless.”
Yeo also rejected comparisons between the ARM agreement and the notorious 1MDB scandal, describing such parallels as unrealistic.
“To equate the ARM deal with 1MDB is like a ‘cerita dongeng’ – a fairy tale that no rational person could believe,” she remarked.
The Puchong MP further expressed concern over the treatment of former economy ministerial aide Chai Jin Shern, better known as James Chai, who has faced public humiliation.
“Worse still, we are seeing the state apparatus used to publicly humiliate people like James – a young, well-educated, and idealistic Malaysian,” she said, adding that no citizen should be subjected to such treatment.
She questioned whether the current government was in danger of adopting the same practices it once opposed.
“In moments like these, I can’t help but ask: have we morphed into the very government we once despised and fought against?” Yeo remarked.
Despite her concerns, Yeo expressed hope that Malaysia’s political landscape could still evolve for the better.
“I still want to believe that we can do better than this, that we can cultivate a new politics for Malaysia, and that our nation can still shine as a beacon of light in a distracted world,” she said.
She also urged young Malaysians not to lose faith in the country’s future, citing Chai’s earlier statement about his commitment to serving the nation.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has since issued a notice of trace in an effort to locate Chai.
Chai, a University of Oxford graduate in law and technology, was among the key individuals appointed by Rafizi to assist with his ministerial duties.
In a subsequent statement, James Chai reiterated that he had neither influenced nor profited from the government’s RM1.1 billion semiconductor collaboration with Arm Holdings.