US Comedian Roasts Najib, Jho Low, And The 1MDB Scandal On Netflix
Hasan Minhaj takes on the scandal-ridden 1MDB in the latest episode of 'Patriot Act'.
By Jia Vern Tham — 03 Jun 2019, 04:52 PM
US comedian Hasan Minhaj, a former correspondent on political satire program 'The Daily Show', decided to take on the scandal-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yesterday, 2 June
Hasan speaking about the 1MDB scandal on the latest episode of 'Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj'.
Image via NetflixIn the latest episode of his Netflix show 'Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj', the 34-year-old broke down the 1MDB scandal with wit while making jokes about fugitive financier Jho Low as well as former premier Najib Razak.
Hasan also explained in the episode about the mismanagement of sovereign wealth funds, the connection of Goldman Sachs to the 1MDB scandal, as well as the charges brought by the US Justice Department against the investment bankers.
Jho Low was described as a "gulab jamun" (Indian nickname for an obese person) and a hard partygoer who managed to convince Najib to set up 1MDB
"This gulab jamun with glasses got connected to Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak," Hasan said during the show, sparking laughter in the crowd.
"How on earth did the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the kid from 'Up' pull this off?" he added.
The comedian also rapped Jho Low for his lavish lifestyle, before showing a video of the fugitive financier partying with Paris Hilton.
"Najib and Jho Low are accused of stealing at least USD4.5 billion (approximately RM19 billion), and they blew it on insane s***," Hasan stressed, adding that the financier had a long list of A-list celebrities at his 31st birthday celebration.
Among the artistes who were invited to the celebration include:
- Britney Spears,
- Chris Brown,
- Psy,
- Pharrell Williams, and
- Ludacris.
The comedian then listed extravagant things that were paid for by Jho Low.
"Jho Low also spent millions on real estate, a private jet, a mega-yacht, a clear piano for Miranda Kerr, a Picasso, a Monet, and a Leonardo DiCaprio," Hasan added, in reference to the questionable funding of the 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' movie.
Hasan also roasted Najib's relationship with Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines
"Najib is theoretically a democratic leader but he is tight with a lot of autocrats like Rodrigo Duterte," the comedian said, before showing a clip of the Filipino President imitating knife-slashing with his voice.
"Prime Minister Najib and President Duterte are so tight that during a 2016 state dinner they started catching feelings," he added.
Clips of the two country leaders dedicating songs to each other were then shown in the episode.
"They should totally f***, but then Najib would have to imprison Duterte for sodomy... He'd be like, 'That was great, you're under arrest'," the comedian said, drawing another round of laughter from the audience.
Najib's singing skills were scrutinised further after Hasan played the former premier's version of 'Kiss and Say Goodbye', which was recorded earlier this year
"He (Najib) cracked down on protesters, he fired officials investigating him, and he even threw a concert with Psy to rally support for his political party BN," Hasan said.
"So he did what every wrongly accused man does to clear his name – he makes his own version of 'We Are The World'," the comedian added, before claiming that Najib's song "was so bad it created more world hunger".
'Patriot Act', created by Hasan, is a Netflix original series which explores current affairs and culture with depth and satire
The comedian is known for his hard-hitting commentary, after a 'Patriot Act' episode critical of Saudi Arabia was asked to be taken down by its government.
Hasan had also tackled the controversial Indian Elections, corruption in Brazil, as well as censorship in China among others.