Give MACC free rein
IN June 2008, three months after his party took over the administration of Selangor, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had invited the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to set up office in the state government building to pore over stacks of files and volumes of documents to determine if the previous administration or those in its employment had abused the public trust.
Although the agency did not respond to that invitation, it had its work simplified by Abdul Khalid and his team as the new state leaders started producing one evidence after another on the questionable alienation of land; overseas trips on public money to among others Disneyland; the breach of trust of RM10 million by the association of the wives of assemblymen and exorbitant gifts such as a RM160,000 watch for the former mentri besar paid for by taxpayers and a multi-million ringgit house supposedly beyond the means of the former mentri besar.
In the meantime and even before the 2008 elections, this paper had exposed the unlawful alienation of land; the transfer of land meant for public amenities to political parties; dubious deals at local council and state levels concerning outdoor advertising and questionable lawatan sambil belajar and not to mention the numerous shenanigans of a now deceased state assemblyman.
The ACA, however, did not find these revelations – ours and the Pakatan Rakyat government’s – needed immediate attention, ie as cause to launch an investigation. For theSun, apart from two visits by the ACA on an illegal funeral parlour and the billboard scandal, there has been no follow-through.
However, judging by the diligence of the ACA and its new identity the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the last two years, it looks like it should have taken up Abdul Khalid’s offer. After all since the state government changed hands, it has made about a dozen visits to the state government office as well as the service centres of Pakatan Rakyat representatives.
I find this sudden burst of enthusiasm by the MACC in investigating politicians and civil servants a breath of fresh air from its complacent and sluggish response and conduct with regards to the other cases which were not investigated.
Perhaps in its list of priorities, the theft of public land is not as serious as say the theft of sand. Or that state subsidiaries donating cattle to poor Muslims warrant immediate action compared to say a gift of a watch that cost as much as four low-cost houses.
Having said all that, those being investigated should not hide behind the perception that they are being victimised for being on the other side of the political divide. Attacking the MACC’s credibility should not be a façade for covering up their own dubious activities which have also slowly emerged from the woodwork.
I will, however, repeat the comments that I said on air two weeks ago: “The MACC has a golden opportunity to address the public perception under the new leadership of Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed – a decorated civil servant whose strong principles and run-ins with superiors are whispered in the hallowed corridors and pantries of the MACC headquarters.”
If it wants to win the hearts and minds of the public, there is no other choice but to go after the high-profile cases. Anything less will be a disservice to the people as well as to the reputation of the MACC and its new boss who came into office with high approval ratings.
Which is why the support for the MACC, like I said on Bernama TV two Fridays ago; must be from top down, not the other way round.
The people have been doing their bit to help the MACC by providing information and the like, but if the mandate is not given to Abu Kassim and his men to act on them, all the MACC will ever be is old wine in a new bottle.
The MACC has a long way to go to regain the public trust and respect but I am optimistic that the new leadership can help address the negative perception – if only it is allowed to do its job without fear or favour.
Terence says there are crooks on both sides of the divide. He can be reached at terence@thesundaily.com
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