16
speak up!
A DAY before members to the various
committees of the Malaysian Anti-
Corruption Agency were announced,
a journalist was asked: “Do you think
it is an honour to be appointed to the
committee?”
“Of course it is an honour.
Have you been appointed?”
“Yes. Come tomorrow
and I will give you an inter-
view.”
Colleague Giam Say
Khoon related this telephone
conversation to office-mates
three weeks ago and was
asked: “Did you do the in-
terview?”
“I was covering Parlia-
ment and I told him to call CitizenNades a loaded comment and the
the editors.” He never called
because if anyone one of us by R. Nadeswaran
had picked up the phone, this
publicity-seeker would have gotten an panel urged Malaysians to allow the
earful.
A week after the names were an-
nounced, someone else called me to
compliment me on a comment which
I had made in one my columns on the
MACC and its efficacy. “Don’t worry,” a chance,” the NST quoted Tan Sri
No evidence of MACC’s neutrality
said the caller. “Since I
am there, pass us the in-
formation. We will push
for it,” to which my retort
was: “I have lost faith in
the MACC. Having sup-
ported its setting up, (and
I make no apologies for
it) I now discover it has
become an arm of the po-
litical process.” That was
response was muted.
Last Saturday, an-
other member of the
MACC to do its work professionally
without judging them unfairly. “The
public must support rather than
criticise and condemn. Judge them
by their track record and give them
Ramon Navaratnam as saying.
It did not end at that. Then, he
dropped the most over-used state-
ment which requires an honorary
mention in that Book of Records: “If
there is evidence, bring it but don’t
criticise unfairly if there isn’t, because
otherwise, the MACC can also be ac-
cused of abuse by taking action when
there’s not enough evidence. It is a
difficult position for them. They are
damned if they do, and damned if
they don’t. But everyone must always
help and not hinder.”
No one will suggest that the presi-
dent of Transparency International
Malaysia has become an apologist for
the MACC, but when investigations
are carried out at break-neck speed
for one section of the population
while another section is perceived as
protected, no amount of words can
theSun
put the situation right.
The MACC, or its predecessor
the Anti-Corruption Agency, has
in files scores of reports of al-
leged abuse in land alienation by
a former mentri besar. One big
parcel of land ended up in the
hands of a company controlled
by teenagers and yet, we have not
heard a whimper on the progress
of the investigations for the past
five years. And the deputy prime
minister has reiterated that any-
one making false reports or statu-
tory declarations containing false
statements would be charged. So,
if the charges made in these re-
ports are false, then charge those
who made such reports.
Allow me to labour on this
point for sake of wanting this is-
sue to be viewed in clarity. If the
alienation of land (at a fraction
of market prices) meant for low-
cost housing to the wife of former
Port Klang assemblyman Datuk
Zakaria Mat Deros is not abuse
of power, what is?
What about a minister travel-
ling the world over with a per-
sonal trainer in tow? What about
inflated contracts being given out
without following procedures?
What about the police harass-
ing this writer for exposing the
wrongdoings of the wives of
VIPs? What about the rombongan
who got a state-owned company
to pay for their trips to enjoy
their second childhood – getting
acquainted with Mickey Mouse
and Donald Duck?
No, Tan Sri, the list is endless.
What more evidence is needed
then the Selangor State Assembly
being told of the shenanigans of
its state-owned company which
doled out money and money’s
worth to selected people? Surely,
the answers to questions raised
did not come from thin air.
The vouchers, the invoices,
the receipts, the cheque butts
and other relevant documents,
fortunately were not shredded in
the aftermath of the tsunami of
March 8. They survived, thanks
to inefficient mopping-up
operations. No evidence?
This message is worth repeat-
| MONDAY MARCH 16 2009
ing. The MACC’s credibility has
been undermined by a series
of bloopers. Like Navaratnam’s
predecessor at TI-M, Tunku
Abdul Aziz said, it’s old wine in
a new bottle. But all is not lost.
The MACC cannot turn the clock
back and start afresh. But it can
act so as to change public percep-
tion. To do that, it must be seen to
be independent, acting without
fear or favour. It must project it-
self as having no links to anyone
including the prime minister and
his deputy or any other VVIPs. In
all fairness to Datuk Seri Azalina
Othman Said, she is innocent
and she is right in saying that, as
she has not been asked to give a
statement to the MACC.
But her highly-publicised pri-
vate visit to the PM’s residence
accompanied by her father has
set tongues wagging. For all we
know, she is innocent, but people
who saw pictures of her on the
doorsteps of Sri Perdana will
draw their own conclusions. The
PM has repeatedly stated that he
will not interfere with MACC’s
operations and Azalina’s private
visit may have nothing to do with
the arrest of her aide who was in
possession of RM70,000. But pub-
lic perception is different. Many
say that she went there to seek
his help with “her problems”. I
don’t believe the PM will stop the
MACC from doing its job. “The
law must be allowed to take
its course,” he was quoted as
saying.
People form opinions based
on what they digest from vari-
ous sources. We cannot compel
them to change their perceptions.
Good perceptions of the MACC
will come about only if the peo-
ple read, see and hear the “good
side”. Otherwise, the meaning of
the word has to be changed.
R. Nadeswaran will continue
campaigning for an efficient and
independent machinery to fight
corruption. He is editor (special
and investigative reporting) at
theSun. He can be reached at
citizen-nades@thesundaily.com