Covid Infamy in Malaysia: In 30 days in December 2021, Malaysia has 20 times Covid-19 cases and four times Covid-19 deaths of Indonesia, which has more than eight times the population of Malaysia

(Versi BM)

Today is the last day of the last week for 2021.

I have written about an infamy a day for Malaysia in the six days for the last week of 2021.

Today is no exception.

The final day of infamy in the last week of infamy for Malaysia is that in the 30 days in December 2021 from Dec. 1 – Dec. 30, Malaysia has 20 times Covid-19 cases and four times Covid-19 deaths of Indonesia, which has more than eight times the population of Malaysia.

On December 1, 2021, Malaysia had cumulative totals of 2,638,221 Covid-19 cases and 30,474 Covid-19 deaths while on Dec. 30, the cumulative totals went up to 2,754,013 cases and 31,462 Covid-19 deaths, which tantamount to 116,292 Covid-19 cases and 988 Covid-19 deaths in the 30 days in December 2021.

For Indonesia, the cumulative totals on Dec. 1, 2021 were 4,256,687 Covid-19 cases and 143,840 Covid-19 deaths which increased on Dec. 30 to 4,262,546 Covid-19 cases and 144,088 Covid-19 deaths – which means 5,859 Covid-19 cases and 248 Covid-19 deaths for the 30 days of December, 2021.

These Malaysian and Indonesian figures about the Covid-19 pandemic means that for the 30 days of December, Malaysia has 20 times Covid-19 cases and four times Covid-19 deaths than Indonesia, which has more than eight times the population of Malaysia.

Malaysia ranks No. 27 and Indonesia ranks No. 45 in the 2021 Global Health Security (GHS) Index which measures the capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics and pandemics.

Why had Malaysia fallen so badly in the Covid-19 pandemic response?

When Ismail Sabri took his oath of office as the ninth Prime Minster of Malaysia on August 21, there was a ten-fold increase in the daily new Covid-19 cases to 22,262 cases from the date of declaration of Emergency on January 11, 2021 and an increase by more than 50 times in number of daily Covid-19 casualties to 223 Covid-19 deaths on that day.

We had lost the war against the Covid-19 pandemic, and if the exponential rates of increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths had continued, at the end of Ismail Sabri’s first 100 days at the end of November, we might have cumulative totals of five million Covid-19 cases and some 100,000 Covid-19 deaths and by the end of the year, some 10 million Covid-19 cases and some 200,000 Covid-19 deaths.

This was one main reason why I supported the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Ismail Sabri and the Pakatan Harapan leaders, for when the country is faced with an existential threat involving millions of Covid-19 cases and tens of thousands of human lives, Malaysians must put their differences aside to protect lives, livelihoods and the national fabrics of Malaysian society.

We have ended the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic but we have not yet won the war against it.

Instead of cumulative totals of five to ten million Covid-19 cases and 100,000 to 200,000 Covid-19 deaths, we have now the cumulative totals at the end of the year of 2.75 million Covid-19 cases and over 31,000 Covid-19 deaths.

We have averted a great catastrophe for Malaysia but the improvement in Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths have been agonisingly slow and appeared to have lost steam and petered out.

Yesterday, Indonesia recorded 189 daily new Covid-19 cases and seven Covid-19 deaths as compared to Malaysia’s 3,997 daily new Covid-19 cases and 34 Covid-19 deaths.

Indonesia had one day in December fallen to double-digit daily new Covid-19 cases and for 18 days in December had single-digit Covid-19 death figures, but Malaysia had never gone below the pre-Emergency 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases and the lowest daily Covid-19 deaths recorded was 17 deaths.

There was some hope on Dec. 27 and 28 that Malaysia might drop below the pre-Emergency 2,232 daily new Covid-19 cases but such hopes were dashed when daily new Covid-19 cases rose to 2,997 cases yesterday.

When will the third Covid-19 wave in Malaysia, which has become one of the longest Covid waves in the world lasting some 15 months going back to September last year, finally end?

To deal with this Covid-19 infamy, the Cabinet should establish a commission of public health experts to study why Malaysia had performed so poorly in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic so that we can be better prepared for future pandemics.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Friday, 31st December 2021)

Prestasi buruk Malaysia dalam menangani penularan Covid-19: Dalam tempoh 30 hari sepanjang Disember 2021, Malaysia merekodkan 20 kali ganda kes Covid-19 dan empat kali ganda korban akibat Covid-19 berbanding Indonesia, yang mempunyai jumlah penduduk lapan kali ganda lebih ramai berbanding Malaysia

Hari ini adalah hari terakhir minggu terakhir untuk tahun 2021.

Saya telah menulis tentang perkara-perkara memalukan yang melanda Malaysia setiap hari dalam enam hari minggu terakhir 2021.

Hari ini tidak terkecuali.

Hari terakhir memalukan dalam minggu terakhir yang amat memalukan menyaksikan negara kita merekodkan 20 kali ganda jumlah kes Covid-19 dan empat kali ganda jumlah kes korban Covid-19 lebih banyak berbanding Indonesia – yang mana mempunyai lebih daripada lapan kali ganda penduduk Malaysia – dalam tempoh 30 hari sepanjang Disember 2021 bermula dari 1 Disember hingga 30 Disember.

Pada 1 Disember 2021, Malaysia mempunyai 2,638,221 kes terkumpul Covid-19 dan 30,474 korban terkumpul manakala pada 30 Disember, jumlah itu meningkat kepada 2,754,013 kes Covid-19 dan 31,462 korban Covid-19, yang bersamaan dengan 116,292 kes Covid-19 dan 988 kes kematian Covid-19 dalam tempoh 30 hari sepanjang Disember 2021.

Sementara Indonesia, jumlah terkumpul kes Covid-19 pada 1 Disember 2021 adalah sebanyak 4,256,687 dan 143,840 korban yang meningkat kepada 4,262,546 kes Covid-19 dan 144,088 kes Covid-19 pada 30 Disember – bermaksud 5,989 kes Covid-19 dan 248 korban telah dicatatkan selama 30 hari sepanjang bulan Disember 2021.

Angka-angka kes wabak Covid-19 di Malaysia dan Indonesia ini menunjukkan bahawa Malaysia mempunyai 20 kali ganda kes Covid-19 dan empat kali korban lebih tinggi berbanding Indonesia, yang mempunyai jumlah pendudukan lapan kali ganda lebih ramai berbanding Malaysia.

Malaysia berada di kedudukan ke-27 dan Indonesia berada di kedudukan ke-45 dalam Indeks Keselamatan Kesihatan Global (GHS) 2021 yang mengukur kapasiti 195 negara untuk bersiap sedia menghadapi epidemik dan pandemik.

Mengapa kedudukan Malaysia menjunam begitu teruk?

Ketika Ismail Sabri mengangkat sumpah sebagai Perdana Menteri Malaysia kesembilan pada 21 Ogos, terdapat peningkatan sepuluh kali ganda dalam kes harian baharu Covid-19 kepada 22,262 kes dari tarikh pengisytiharan Darurat pada 11 Januari 2021 dan peningkatan lebih 50 kali ganda dalam jumlah korban harian Covid-19 kepada 223 kematian Covid-19 pada hari tersebut.

Kita telah kalah dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19, dan jika kadar lonjakan kes dan kematian Covid-19 berterusan, pada penghujung 100 hari pertama Ismail Sabri pada akhir November, kita mungkin mempunyai lima juta kes terkumpul Covid-19 dan kira-kira 100,000 kematian terkumpul Covid-19 dan bakal mengumpulkan kira-kira 10 juta kes Covid-19 dan kira-kira 200,000 kematian Covid-19 menjelang akhir tahun.

Ini adalah salah satu sebab utama mengapa saya menyokong memorandum persefahaman (MOU) keyakinan-pembekalan-pembaharuan (CSR) antara Ismail Sabri dan pemimpin Pakatan Harapan, apabila negara berdepan dengan risiko ancaman yang melibatkan jutaan kes Covid-19 dan berpuluh-puluh ribu nyawa manusia, rakyat Malaysia mesti mengenepikan perbezaan mereka untuk melindungi nyawa, mata pencarian dan keharmonian masyarakat Malaysia.

kita telah menamatkan pandemik Covid-19 yang paling teruk tetapi kita masih belum memenangi perang melawannya.

Daripada jumlah terkumpul lima hingga sepuluh juta kes Covid-19 dan 100,000 hingga 200,000 kematian Covid-19, kita kini mempunyai jumlah kes terkumpul pada akhir tahun sebanyak 2.75 juta kes Covid-19 dan lebih 31,000 korban Covid-19.

Kita telah mengelak malapetaka besar bagi Malaysia tetapi kadar penurunan dalam kes Covid-19 dan korban Covid-19 sangat perlahan.

Semalam, Indonesia merekodkan 189 kes harian baharu Covid-19dan tujuh korban Covid-19 berbanding 3,997 kes harian baharu Covid-19 dan 34 korban Covid-19 di Malaysia.

Indonesia mempunyai satu hari pada bulan Disember di mana kes harian baharu turun ke julat satu angka dan selama 18 hari pada bulan Disember merekodkan kes korban satu angka, tetapi di Malaysia angka kes tidak pernah turun di bawah 2,232 kes seperti sebelum Darurat diisytiharkan dan kadar korban Covid-19 terendah yang dicatatkan pula adalah sebanyak 17 kes.

Muncul sedikit harapan pada 27 dan 28 Disember yang memperlihatkan Malaysia mungkin dapat menurunkan kes Covid-19 ke bawah paras 2,232 kes seperti sebelum Darurat diisytiharkan tetapi harapan itu musnah apabila kes harian baharu Covid-19 meningkat kepada 2,997 kes semalam.

Bilakah gelombang ketiga penularan Covid-19 di Malaysia, yang telah menjadi salah satu gelombang Covid yang paling lama di dunia yang berlangsung selama 15 bulan sejak September tahun lalu, akan berakhir?

Untuk menangani keburukan Covid-19 ini, Kabinet harus menubuhkan sebuah suruhanjaya pakar kesihatan awam untuk mengkaji mengapa Malaysia menunjukkan prestasi yang sangat buruk dalam perang melawan pandemik Covid-19 supaya kita boleh lebih bersedia menghadapi pandemik masa depan.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Jumaat, 31 Disember 2021)

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How can Malaysia be back on track of long-term economic plan in 2022 when it could not even return to pre-Emergency days of the Covid-19 pandemic let alone end the 15-month third  Covid-19 wave in Malaysia, which has become the longest Covid-19 wave in the world?

The Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri in his special New Year message yesterday, expressed the hope that 2022 will see Malaysia back on track of long-term economic plan.

Ismail Sabri is being very unrealistic.

How can Malaysia  be back on track of long-term economic plan in 2022 when it could not return to pre-Emergency days of the Covid-19 pandemic let alone end the 15-month third Covid-19 wave in Malaysia, which has become the longest Covid-19 wave in the world.

Ismail was very careful in referring to the peak of Covid-19 infections when it recorded 24,599 new cases and 393 fatalities on August 26.

Why didn’t he refer to the pre-Emergency day of Covid-19 pandemic, which his government has failed to return to when the daily Covid-19 records were 2,232 new cases and four Covid-19 deaths on January 11, 2021?

We have not been able to record a single day of  single-digit Covid-deaths in Ismail Sabri’s more than four months as Prime Minister but Indonesia, which has more than eight times the population of Malaysia, has 19 days in December reported daily single-digit deaths.

Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 3,573 new Covid-19 cases and 25 Covid-19 deaths as compared to 180 new Covid-19 cases and six Covid-19 deaths in Indonesia.

For the whole month of December 2021, Malaysia has 20 times Covid-19 cases and four times Covid-19 deaths than Indonesia, which has more than eight times the population of Malaysia.

These two instances about the failure of Malaysia’s handling of Covid-19 pandemic is cause for a shake-up of the public health service and not undeserving self-praise.

This was one main reason why I supported the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Ismail Sabri and the Pakatan Harapan leaders, for when the country is faced with an existential threat involving millions of Covid-19 cases and tens of thousands of human lives, Malaysians must put their differences aside to protect lives, livelihoods and the national fabrics of Malaysian society.

We have ended the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic but we have not yet won the war against it.

Instead of cumulative totals of five to ten million Covid-19 cases and 100,000 to 200,000 Covid-19 deaths, we have now the cumulative totals at the end of the year of 2.75 million Covid-19 cases and over 31,000 Covid-19 deaths.

We have averted a great catastrophe for Malaysia but the improvement in Covid-19 cases and Covid-19 deaths have been agonisingly slow and appeared to have lost steam and petered out.

I had proposed that  the Cabinet should establish a commission of public health experts to study why Malaysia had performed so poorly in the war against the Covid-19 pandemic. Will Ismail Sabri support the proposal?

Instead of painting a beautiful picture about what is in store in 2022, Ismail Sabri should have presented a grim picture of Malaysia’s new year after Malaysia had experienced the worst “annus horribilis” in the nation’s history.

He should have owned up to his mistake in not attending the annual Christmas high tea on Christmas Day which had undermined the meaning and seriousness of his Keluarga Malaysia slogan as a celebration of unity in Malaysia plural diversity of races, languages, religions and cultures.

For the last half a century, we have been trailing other countries in the international race of nations.

We were equals if not better than Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam in international competitiveness, good governance, rule of law, war against corruption and having an effective and efficient government.

But in the last half a century, these nations have overtaken us and forged far ahead.

Even more serious, we are in the trajectory of sluggards if we do not bestir ourselves, as our fate in the coming decades seems to be overtaken in the race of nations by other countries including Indonesia unless Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region unite to achieve our Malaysian Dream to be a world-class great nation.

The single most important challenge for Malaysia  today is to reset and regain the trajectory to become a  world-class great nation by Malaysia’s Centennial in 2063.

For  this reason, I have appealed  to the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS), the Islamic Education Development Council (Mappim) and the Confederation of Malaysian Writers Association (Gapena) not to appeal the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision on the constitutionality of Chinese and Tamil primary schools but to provide leadership to undo the half-a-century of national decline losing out to other countries.

Does Ismail Sabri agree with this Malaysian Dream  for Malaysia to be  a world-class great nation and my appeal to GPMS, Mappim and Gapena not to appeal the KL High Court decision on the constitutionality of Chinese and Tamil primary schools and to provide leadership in the national endeavour undo half-a-century of national decline?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Saturday, 1.1.2022)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 1 January 2022, 9:14 am and is filed under
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Whether 2022 will be a year of rejecting corruption will depend on three things led by the issue of Azam Baki as MACC Chief Commissioner

A former Prime Minister in his 2022 New Year message hoped that 2022 will be better than 2020 and 2021, and that it would be a year of rejecting corruption to save Malaysia.

He said Malaysians must reject corruption and choose incorruptible leaders if the country is to have any hope to achieving its potential.

He said the political situation now is bad, as bad politicians continued to rule and good ones are not given a chance.

He said that while welcoming  2022, Malaysians must  reflect on their  role to achieve the goals as set in Vision 2020.

He said: “We still have the capacity to do so in this blessed country.

“Only by rejecting corruption and electing clean leaders can we save this country.”

Whether 2022 will  be a year of rejecting corruption will depend on  three things led by the issue of Azam Baki as MACC Chief Commissioner.

Firstly, will the Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, continue to avoid this issue by his two-month old “conspiracy of silence” and whether the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department will refuse to take the bull of anti-corruption  by the horns and decline to summon Azam Baki to explain the serious allegations made against him two months ago.

Secondly, it will depend on the Transparency International’s  (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2021 later this month, as in the TI CPI 2020, there was a two-point drop in the score and six-point drop in ranking and heading towards the lowest TI CPI score and rank for Malaysia  in TI CPI 2021, which is expected to be announced  at the end of  January 2022.

Thirdly, it will depend on whether the Prime Minister and his Cabinet agree that the most critical issue facing Malaysians today is to stop the national decline in the past half-a-century resulting in Malaysia being overtakan  by other countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, and by  being overtaken  by other nations like Indonesia in the coming decades.

Can we reset and unite as a nation as Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region to stop Malaysia’s  decline and  to leap-frog to achieve a world-class great nation status by  before Malaysia’s Centennial in 2063 – the pursuit of the Malaysian Dream to become a world-class great nation?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Saturday, 1.1.2022)

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Pakatan Harapan must resolve four communications failures before the 15th  General Election if PH is not to suffer from these four misperceptions

(Versi BM)

Pakatan Harapan must resolve four communications failures before the 15th General Election if PH is not to suffer from these four misperceptions.

The first is the image of the Pakatan Harapan Government.

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, in his new book on his 22-month premiership of the Pakatan Harapan government said that there was the allegation that the DAP was dominating the PH Government.

He wrote (p. 112):

“The Dap is perceived as a ‘Chinese party’ representing Chinese Malaysians through a narrow range of ethnocentric interests – that’s the perception created by the UMNO cybertroopers and despite my arguments, they latched on to the idea that the Government (and thus the country) had somehow come under ‘Chinese’ control – it’s a deeply racist and insecure idea, but it was a key part of their strategy to undermine the Government. No matter how we explained ourselves, they would repeat that Malaysia needed a ‘Malay-Muslim Government’, and that the DAP was anti-Muslim and intended to destroy the Malays, and so forth. This went on continuously. This was all propaganda, and it came from the side that lost the general election, but Malaysians who are not very knowledgeable about politics tend to swallow this hook, line and sinker”.

In the section of “The DAP bogey” (p. 138), Mahathir wrote:

“…I took pains to provide equitable representation to the Cabinet for all the five partners in the coalition.

People accepted this, at first. Malays accepted this – it was a balanced Government that represented the interests of a wide cross-section of Malaysian society, and the fact was that we had never had a Malay-Muslim Government in Malaysia. However Najib and UMNO started playing up the fear that the DAP would somehow “destroy the Malays”. This resonated among the Malays. Why? For generations, people in UMNO and the Government had been claiming that the DAP was the enemy. DAP members were Communists, pro-Chinese chauvinists and so forth, and now they were in the Government: of course, they were planning to destroy the Malays – so it was claimed. This kind of thinking is credible where the Malays are concerned, but the DAP was never in control of the Pakatan Harapan Government, and was never out to destroy anyone. The DAP could not do anything without the consent of the Cabinet. They would put up a paper in the Cabinet, and we would debate. The Cabinet rejected many of their suggestions, which is the usual business of government. But Chinese Malaysians are frequently used as scapegoats and so it was quite easy for Malays to believe that the DAP was somehow pulling the strings of the Government”.

In p.145, Mahathir wrote:

“The allegation was not only that the DAP controlled th Pakatan Harapan but that I was under the control of DAP chief Lim Guan Eng, who served as Finance Minister in my Cabinet. These allegations were ridiculous. They were an insult to me and to Malays generally.”

But Mahathir presented only half the picture. For among the non-Malays, particularly the Chinese, there was the opposite allegation that the Pakatan Harapan was a Malay or Mahathir government, and the DAP had sold out the rights and interests of the non-Malays in general and that of the Chinese in particular.

This is the first communications failure of the Pakatan Harapan government, which Mahathir admitted the PH Government had failed to rebut these baseless and unfounded allegations.

The second PH communications failure is the failure to rebut the allegation that the 22-month PH government had failed to deliver the PH election manifesto.

Firstly, it is impossible for any government to fulfil an election manifesto meant for five years or 60 months in 22 months as the PH government was toppled by undemocratic, unconstitutional and illegitimate means in 22 months.

There are legitimate reasons for Malaysians to be unhappy with the pace for institutional reform or the rate of implementing the election pledges, and this was why I met Mahathir in mid-2019 and expressed my concern about the rate of fulfilling the PH election manifesto. I had intended to meet the Prime Minister after the mid-term of the PH government but the PH government was toppled after 22 months.

The PH mandate to fulfil the election manifesto was for five years. If in the first half of the term, the Implementation of the election manifesto was slow for whatever the reason, this could be remedied in the second half of the five-year term by an acceleration to implement the election pledges But this was rendered impossible by the Sheraton Move conspiracy which toppled the PH government in 22 months.

The third PH communications failure is the failure to impress on the people the importance of 14th General Election result on May 9, 2018 in ending the political hegemony of UMNO.

Before May 9, 2018, not many people expected UMNO to be toppled and the ending of the UMNO political hegemony which had reduced the role of even the other Barisan Nasional parties to that of mere supplicants or puppets.

As a result, Malaysia is in a new political scenario seeking a new political equilibrium where the the voices of the people matter in shaping the destiny of the nation resulting in the turmoil which saw four Prime Ministers in five years.

The lesson for Malaysians is to realise that a political struggle to make Malaysia a world-class great nation is a long and arduous one and require perseverance and stamina for the long haul.

It has taken half a century to break UMNO political hegemony.

We may need another half a century to achieve the Malaysian Dream to become a world-class great nation – as this cannot done in a year or two, or in one or two decades.

For half a century, we have been on the trajectory of decline, losing out to one nation after nation – Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam. Malaysians must end this trajectory of decline and strive instead to be a world-class great nation in various fields of human endeavour.

This will take decades and what better target than Malaysia’s Centennial in 2063.

The fourth PH communications failure is over the confidence-supply-reform (CSF) memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Prime Minister and the four Pakatan Harapan leaders on Sept. 13, 2021.

PH has failed to effectively rebut allegations that the PH had been co-opted into the Ismail Sabri Government and is no more an Opposition.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We must effectively communicate the following facts to Malaysians about the CSR MOU:

1. That it was precisely because UMNO political hegemony was ended on May 9, 2018 and no single political party enjoys a simple majority of Parliament that we have created a situation where CSR MOU was feasible. The MOU was unheard-of in the past six decades because UMNO exercised political hegemony.

2. The MoU does not provide for the political advancement of any PH political leader and the CSR MoU is an open document without any secret clauses. Any claim that the CSR MoU has secret clauses is baseless and exposes the person making such an allegation to the charges of a liar and no respect for the truth.

3. We stopped the PH’s numbers of parliamentarians being used in the “Game of Thrones” of Government parties in the conspiracy to be Prime Minister, as whatever the combination and permutation, Anwar Ibrahim would not be named Prime Minister whether by PN or BN..

4. The CSR MOU was to unite the efforts of all Malaysians to end the exponential increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths. There were 24,599 Covid-19 cases and 393 fatalities on August 26, 2021, five days after Ismail Sabri was sworn in as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia, If this exponential daily increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths had not been stopped, we might have cumulative totals of five to 10 million Covid-19 cases and 100,000 – 200,000 Covid-19 deaths on Dec. 31, instead of 2.75 million Covid-19 cases and 31,500 Covid-19 deaths.

5. Pakatan Harapan insisted that the PN government allocate RM45 billion to help Malaysians affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Speech by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang at the Johore DAP Retreat in Senai on Sunday, 2nd January 2022 at 11 am)

Pakatan Harapan perlu menyelesaikan empat kegagalan komunikasi sebelum Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 sekiranya kita tidak mahu terkesan dengan empat persepsi salah ini.

Pakatan Harapan perlu menyelesaikan empat kegagalan komunikasi sebelum Pilihan Raya Umum ke-15 sekiranya kita tidak mahu terkesan dengan empat persepsi salah ini.

Pertamanya adalah imej kerajaan Pakatan Harapan.

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, di dalam bukunya mengenai 22 bulan sebagai perdana menteri kerajaan Pakatan Harapan telah mengatakan yang terdapat tuduhan yang DAP mengawal kerajaan PH.

Beliau menulis (m. 112):

“Dap dianggap sebagai ‘parti Cina’ yang mewakili orang Cina Malaysia dengan kepentingan etnosentrik yang sempit – itulah persepsi yang dicipta oleh tentera siber UMNO dan walaupun saya berhujah, mereka berpegang pada idea bahawa Kerajaan (dan dengan itu negara) entah bagaimana telah berada di bawah kawalan ‘Cina’ –perkara ini adalah satu pemikiran yang bersifat rasis, tetapi ia merupakan bahagian penting dalam strategi mereka untuk melemahkan Kerajaan. Tidak kira bagaimana kita menjelaskannya, mereka akan mengulangi bahawa Malaysia memerlukan ‘Kerajaan Melayu-Islam’, dan DAP adalah anti-Islam dan berniat untuk menghancurkan orang Melayu, dan sebagainya. Perkara berlaku secara berterusan. Semua ini adalah propaganda, dan ia datang dari pihak yang kalah dalam pilihan raya umum, tetapi rakyat Malaysia yang tidak begitu celik mengenai politik mudah termakan umpan politik ini”.

Dalam bab “The DAP bogey” (m. 138), Mahathir menulis:

“…Saya bersusah payah memberikan representasi yang saksama dalam Kabinet untuk semua lima rakan kongsi dalam gabungan itu.

Orang ramai menerima perkara ini pada mulanya. Orang Melayu menerima perkara ini – di mana ia dilihat sebagai sebuah kerajaan yang seimbang yang mewakili kepentingan pelbagai bahagian masyarakat majmuk di Malaysia, dan juga hakikat di mana kita tidak pernah ada kerajaan Melayu-Islam di Malaysia. Bagaimanapun, Najib dan UMNO mula memomokkan yang kononnya DAP akan “memusnahkan orang Melayu”. Perkara ini pula disambut oleh orang Melayu. Mengapa? Kerana selama beberapa generasi lamanya, orang dalam UMNO dan kerajaan telah mendakwa yang DAP adalah musuh. Ahli DAP adakah komunis, cauvinis pro-China, dan lain-lain lagi, dan kini mereka berada dalam Kerajaan: sudah tentu sekali mereka sedang merancang untuk memusnahkan orang Melayu – begitulah yang didakwanya. Pemikiran sebegini masuk akal bagi orang Melayu, tetapi DAP tidak pernah mengawal kerajaan Pakatan Harapan dan tidak pernah merancang untuk memusnahkan sesiapa. DAP tidak boleh berbuat apa-apa tanpa persetujuan Kabinet. Mereka akan bentangkan kertas kerja di Kabinet dan kita semua bahaskan. Kabinet telah menolak banyak cadangan mereka, yang merupakan satu perkara biasa dalam kerajaan. Tetapi orang Cina di Malaysia sering digunakan sebagai kambing hitam dan kerana itulah mudah untuk orang Melayu percaya yang kononnya DAP mengawal Kerajaan”.

Dalam halaman 145, Mahathir menulis:

“Tuduhannya bukan sahaja kononnya DAP mengawal Pakatan Harapan, tetapi kononnya saya juga di bawah kawalan Lim Guan Eng, yang berkhidmat sebagai Menteri Kewangan dalam Kabinet saya. Tuduhan ini tidak masuk akal dan merupakan satu penghinaan terhadap saya dan orang Melayu”.

Tetapi Mahathir hanya menunjukkan sebahagian daripada gambaran menyeluruh. Di mana dalam kalangan orang bukan-Melayu pula, terutamanya golongan Cina, terdapat tuduhan yang bertentangan yang mengatakan Pakatan Harapan ini merupakan kerajaan Melayu atau kerajaan Mahathir, dan DAP telah kononnya mengkhianati hak dan kepentingan orang bukan-Melayu, terutamanya kepentingan orang Cina.

Inilah kegagalan komunikasi pertama kerajaan Pakatan Harapan, yang Mahathir sendiri telah akui gagal ditepis oleh kerajaan PH.

Kegagalan komunikasi kedua PH adalah kegagalan untuk menepis tuduhan yang kerajaan PH selama 22 bulan ini telah gagal untuk memenuhi manifesto pilihan rayanya.

Pertama, mustahil untuk mana-mana kerajaan memenuhi manifesto yang sepatutnya mengambil masa lima tahun dalam masa 22 bulan, memandangkan kerajaan PH telah ditumbangkan dengan cara yang tidak demokratik dan tidak sah hanya selepas 22 bulan berkuasa.

Ada sebab-sebab yang sah untuk rakyat Malaysia berasa tidak gembira dengan kelajuan pelaksanaan reformasi institusi atau pelaksanaan janji pilihan raya, dan inilah sebabnya saya berjumpa dengan Mahathir pada pertengahan tahun 2019 untuk menyampaikan kebimbangan saya mengenai kadar di mana janji-janji ini dipenuhi. Saya berancang untuk bertermu dengan Perdana Menteri selepas tempoh setengah penggal kerajaan PH, namun kerajaan PH telah ditumbangkan terlebih dahulu hanya selepas 22 bulan.

Mandat PH untuk memenuhi janji-janji manifesto ini adalah lima tahun. Sekiranya dalam setengah penggal yang pertama, pelaksanaan janji-janji ini perlahan, untuk apa-apa sebab sekalipun, perkara ini boleh ditambah baik dalam setengah penggal kedua dengan mempercepatkan pelaksanaannya. Tetapi perkara ini kini mustahil akibat konspirasi Langkah Sheraton.

Kegagalan komunikasi PH yang ketiga adalah kegagalan untuk menyakinkan rakyat mengenai kepentingan Pilihan Raya Umum ke-14 pada 9 Mei 2018 untuk menamatkan hegemoni politik UMNO.

Sebelum 9 Mei 2018, tidak ramai yang menjangkakan UMNO boleh ditumbangkan dan hegemoni politik UMNO dapat ditamatkan sehingga menyebabkan peranan parti-parti lain dalam Barisan Nasional menjadi hanya boneka.

Hasilnya, Malaysia kini berada dalam senario politik baharu – yang masih sedang cuba mencari titik keseimbangan politik baharu di mana suara rakyat diberikan kepentingan dalam membentuk masa hadapan negara – yang telah menyaksikan empat orang Perdana Menteri bersilih ganti dalam tempoh lima tahun.

Pengajarannya untuk rakyat Malaysia adalah untuk menyedari yang perjuangan politik untuk menjadikan Malaysia negara hebat bertaraf dunia ini adalah satu perjuangan jangka panjang yang penuh dengan cabaran dan memerlukan kecekalan.

Kita mengambil masa selama setengah abad untuk memecahkan hegemoni politik UMNO.

Kita mungkin memerlukan setengah abad lagi untuk mencapai Impian Malaysia untuk menjadi sebuah negara hebat bertaraf dunia – kerana perkara ini tidak mungkin dicapai dalam masa setahun dua, atau sedekad dua.

Selama setengah abad, kita berada dalam trajektori kemunduran, kalah dengan pelbagai negara – Taiwan, Korea Selatan, Singapura, dan Vietnam. Rakyat Malaysia perlu menamatkan trajektori kemunduran ini dan berusaha untuk menjadi sebuah negara hebat dalam pelbagai bidang yang diceburi manusia.

Perkara ini akan memakan masa berdekad lamanya dan tidak ada sasaran yang lebih baik daripada ulang tahun ke-100 penubuhan negara pada tahun 2063.

PH telah gagal untuk menepis dengan berkesan pertuduhan yang kononnya PH telah diserap ke dalam kerajaan Ismail Sabri dan bukan lagi sebuah barisan Pembangkang.

Tidak ada perkara yang jauh lebih salah lagi. Kita perlu sampaikan secara efektif, fakta-fakta berikut mengenai MOU CSR:

1. Kerana berakhirnya hegemoni politik UMNO pada 9 Mei 2018 dan tidak ada mana-mana parti yang mempunyai majoriti mudah di Parlimen, wujudlah satu situasi di mana MOU CSR ini diperlukan. MOU ini merupakan satu perkara yang tidak pernah didengari sebelum ini dalam enam dekad sejarah negara kerana hegemoni politik UMNO.

2. MOU ini tidak membantu memajukan kerjaya politik mana-mana pemimpin PH dan MOU CSR ini sendiri adalah satu dokumen terbuka tanpa sebarang klausa rahsia. Sebarang dakwaan yang mengatakan MOU CSR ini mempunyai klausa rahsia adalah tuduhan tidak berasas dan mendedahkan mana-mana orang yang membuat pertuduhan seperti itu kepada tuduhan sebagai seorang penipu yang tidak menghormati kebenaran.

3. Kita berjaya menghentikan angka-angka Ahli Parlimen PH di Parlimen daripada digunakan dalam “Perebutan Kuasa” parti-parti kerajaan untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri kerana tidak kiralah apa pun kombinasinya, PN atau BN tidak akan sama sekali menamakan Anwar Ibrahim sebagai Perdana Menteri.

4. MOU CSR ini adalah usaha untuk menyatukan rakyat Malaysia untuk menghentikan peningkatan mendadak jangkitan dan kematian akibat Covid-19. Terdapat 24,599 kes dan 393 kematian pada 26 Ogos 2021, lima hari selepas Ismail Sabri mengangkat sumpah sebagai Perdana Menteri. Sekiranya trend ini berterusan, kita mungkin akan mencapai sejumlah lima ke 10 juta kes Covid-19 terkumpul dan 100,000 – 200,000 kematian akibat Covid-19 menjelang 31 Disember, dan bukannya 2.75 juta kes dan 31,500 kematian yang dicatatkan.

5. Pakatan Harapan menuntut kerajaan PN untuk memperuntukan RM45 billion untuk membantu rakyat Malaysia yang terkesan dengan wabak Covid-19.

(Ucapan Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Pemukiman DAP Johor di Senai pada hari Ahad, 2 Januari 2021 pada jam 11 pagi)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 2 January 2022, 6:08 pm and is filed under
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Azam Baki should resign as MACC Chief Commissioner if he is not prepared to appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee for Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department  to explain the serious allegations against him which compromised national anti-corruption efforts

After causing two infamies to Malaysia, turning the country into a kleptocracy and opening an international conference as a convicted criminal for corruption, there is an attempt to score a triple infamy to Malaysia by suddenly appearing like a white knight in shining armour vying to be the country’s leading crusader against corruption in Malaysia.

Ensuring that Malaysia is an honest and non-corrupt country and acknowledged worldwide as among the top 30 countries regarded as least corrupt is serious business, and I will not be part of a charade so that someone could score triple infamy of corruption to Malaysia.

We are in the new year of 2022 but Malaysians are still grappling with the problem of corruption from last year.

One outstanding problem concerning integrity and corruption from last year concerns the Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Azam Baki.

Azam should resign as MACC Chief Commissioner if he is not prepared to appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee for Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department to explain the serious allegations against him which compromised national anti-corruption efforts.

In fact, Azam should have volunteered to appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee for Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department to set a good example for all public servants.

The continued silence of the Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, on the allegations against Azamm is most troubling.

Is the Prime Minister going to raise the issue at the next Cabinet meeting?

Will there be a Cabinet meeting this Wednesday? If not, why was not a Cabinet meeting scheduled for January 5 as the Prime Minister had recalled all Ministers holidaying overseas to return because of the floods in the country?

Since we are on the subject, is there any Minister who did not return overseas and continued his or her holidays abroad despite the Prime Minister’s directive and who are they?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Monday, 3rd January 2022)

Azam Baki perlu meletakkan jawatan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM sekiranya beliau tidak bersedia untuk memberikan keterangan di hadapan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas mengenai Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri untuk menjelaskan pertuduhan berat terhadapnya yang telah menjejaskan usaha anti rasuah kebangsaan

Selepas membawa malu dua kali kepada negara dengan mengubah Malaysia menjadi sebuah kleptokrasi dan kemudiannya merasmikan persidangan antarabangsa selepas disabitkan bersalah atas kesalahan rasuah, terdapat pula cubaan oleh beliau untuk memalukan negara dengan datang sebagai hero anti-rasuah di Malaysia.

Usaha untuk memastikan Malaysia menjadi sebuah negara yang jujur dan bebas rasuah dan diiktiraf sebagai salah satu daripada 30 negara yang paling tidak korup adalah perkara yang serius, dan saya tidak akan terpalit dengan usaha seseorang untuk membawa malu akibat isu rasuah buat kali ketiga untuk Malaysia.

Kita sedang berada dalam tahun baharu 2022 tetapi rakyat Malaysia masih bergelut dengan masalah rasuah dari tahun lepas.

Satu masalah yang menonjol berkenaan integriti dan isu rasuah dari tahun lepas adalah berkenaan dengan Ketua Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Azam Baki.

Azam perlu meletakkan jawatan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM sekiranya beliau tidak bersedia untuk memberikan keterangan di hadapan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas mengenai Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri untuk menjelaskan pertuduhan berat terhadapnya yang telah menjejaskan usaha anti rasuah kebangsaan.

Sedangkan Azam sepatutnya menawarkan diri untuk hadir di hadapan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas ini untuk menunjukkan tauladan yang baik kepada semua penjawat awam.

Kesunyian daripada Perdana Menteri, Ismail Sabri, mengenai perkara ini amatlah membimbangkan.

Adakah Perdana Menteri akan membangkitkan isu ini dalam mesyuarat Kabinet yang akan datang?

Adakah akan ada mesyuarat Kabinet hari Rabu ini? Jika tidak, mengapa tidak ada mesyuarat Kabinet dijadualkan pada 5 Januari memandangkan Perdana Menteri telah pun memanggil semula semua Menteri-menteri yang sedang bercuti di luar negara untuk pulang kerana bencana banjir yang sedang melanda seluruh negara?

Memandangkan kita sedang bercakap mengenai perkara ini, adakah mana-mana Menteri yang tidak pulang dari luar negara dan sebaliknya meneruskan mereka walaupun selepas arahan Perdana Menteri dikeluarkan dan siapakah mereka?

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Isnin, 3 Januari 2022)

                This entry was posted on Monday, 3 January 2022, 10:11 am and is filed under
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If Azam is not prepared to appear before the Parliamentary SSC on Agencies in the PM’s Department, Ismail Sabri should terminate Azam’s appointment as MACC Chief Commissioner and take immediate steps to transfer the MACC from the PM’s Department to Parliament

(Versi BM)

If Azam Baki is not prepared to appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on the Agencies in the Prime Minister’s Department on the serious allegations which had been made against him two months ago, the Prime Minister Ismail Sabri should terminate Azam’s appointment as Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner and take immediate steps to transfer the MACC from the PM’s Department to Parliament.

Ismail Sabri should present this proposal for Cabinet approval at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow – or will there be no Cabinet meeting tomorrow?

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s silence for over two months on an issue concerning the accountability, transparency and integrity of MACC and its officers is a “black mark” on the Ismail Sabri government, highlighting not only its lack of seriousness in the fight against corruption but a weak government where the Prime Minister and the Ministers are afraid of the public officers.

Is this because of the MACC may have considerable evidence on the lack of integrity of the Ministers?

Azam should publicly explain why he is afraid of appearing before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies in the Prime Minister’s Department in response to the allegations which had been made against him affecting the commitment to integrity?

Time is long overdue to transfer the MACC out of the agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department to be directly responsible to Parliament, which is a major step towards restoring public trust and confidence in the MACC as a meaningful instrument to fight corruption.

With this transfer, there can be a Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Corruption and Abuses of Power to oversee the work of MACC.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday, 4th January 2022)

Sekiranya Azam tidak bersedia untuk hadir di hadapan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen, Ismail Sabri perlu tamatkan pelantikan beliau sebagai Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM dan ambil tindakan segera untuk memindahkan SPRM daripada Jabatan Perdana Menteri ke Parlimen

Sekiranya Azam tidak bersedia untuk hadir di hadapan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas mengenai Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri untuk menjawab mengenai pertuduhan berat terhadap beliau yang dibuat dua bulan yang lepas, Ismail Sabri perlu tamatkan pelantikan beliau sebagai Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM dan ambil tindakan segera untuk memindahkan SPRM daripada Jabatan Perdana Menteri ke Parlimen.

Cadangan ini perlu dibentangkan Ismail Sabri untuk kelulusan Kabinet dalam mesyuarat Kabinet esok – atau tidak ada mesyuarat Kabinet yang akan berlangsung esok?

Kesunyian Ismail Sabri mengenai perkara yang melibat akauntabiliti, ketelusan, dan integriti SPRM dan pegawai-pegawainya selama dua bulan ini merupakan satu titik hitam untuk Kerajaan Ismail Sabri, yang menunjukkan bukan sahaja ketiadaan keseriusan dalam melawan rasuah, tetapi juga sebuah kerajaan yang lemah di mana Perdana Menteri dan Menteri-menterinya takut dengan pegawai awam.

Adakah perkara ini terjadi kerana SPRM mungkin mempunyai bukti-bukti mengenai ketiadaan integriti dalam kalangan Jemaah Menteri?

Azam perlu menjelaskan kepada orang awam mengapa beliau tidak berani untuk hadir di hadapan Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen mengenai Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri untuk menjelaskan pertuduhan berat yang telah berbangkit terhadap beliau yang menjejaskan komitmen integriti beliau.

Masanya telah tiba untuk memindahkan SPRM daripada menjadi sebuah agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri kepada sebuah badan yang bertanggungjawab secara langsung kepada Parlimen, yang merupakan satu langkah utama untuk mengembalikan kepercayaan dan keyakinan rakyat terhadap SPRM sebagai satu badan utama pencegahan rasuah.

Dengan pemindahan ini, perlu ada sebuah Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas mengenai Rasuah dan Penyalahgunaan Kuasa untuk memantau kerja-kerja SPRM.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Selasa, 4 Januari 2022)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 4 January 2022, 7:15 am and is filed under
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Would MACC approve the appointment of a convicted corruption criminal as a Cabinet Minister?

(Versi BM)

A website reported on Sunday that there was going to be a Cabinet reshuffle and four Ministers will be replaced – the Finance Minister, Tengku Zafrul Aziz; the Minister of Youth and Sports, Ahmad Faizal Azumu; the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Abdul Latiff Ahmad, the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Rina Harun would be replaced by, among others, Najib Razak as Economic Adviser in the Prime Minister’s Department, Ahmad Maslan as Finance Minister and Shahril Hamdan as Minister for Youth and Sports.

I do not know how true is the report but appointing Najib Razak to any Ministerial position or post would be crossing the “red line” and will jeopardise the confidence-supply-reform (CSR) Memorandum of Understanding (Mo0) signed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and the four Pakatan Harapan leaders on Sept. 13, 2021.

It is the common practice to forward a list of intended appointments whether to the Cabinet or to any high government position to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for clearance.

Would the MACC approve the appointment of a convicted corruption criminal as a Cabinet Minister?

Has this anything to do with the two-month conspiracy of silence on the part of the Ismail Sabri and the MACC Chief Commissioner, Azam Baki on the serious allegations of conflict-of-interest which was made public more than two months ago, to the extent that the Malaysian Government and the MACC are prepared to allow their commitment to anti-corruption efforts to be compromised?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Tuesday, 4th January 2022)

Adakah SPRM akan meluluskan pelantikan penjenayah yang disabit bersalah sebagai Menteri Kabinet?

Sebuah laman web telah melaporkan pada hari Ahad yang akan ada penyusunan semula barisan Kabinet dan empat orang Menteri akan digantikan – Menteri Kewangan, Tengku Zafrul Aziz; Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Ahmad Faizal Azumu; Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Abdul Latiff Ahmad; Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga, dan Masyarakat, Rina Harun, dengan Najib Razak sebagai Penasihat Ekonomi di Jabatan perdana Menteri, Ahmad Maslan sebagai Menteri Kewangan, dan Shahril Hamdan sebagai Menteri Belia dan Sukan.

Saya tidak pasti berapa tepatkan laporan ini, tetapi melantik Najib Razak ke apa-apa jawatan bertaraf Menteri dikira sebagai melanggar “garisan merah” dan akan membahayakan memorandum persefahaman (MOU) kepercayaan-perbekalan-reformasi (CSR) yang ditandatangani di antara Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri dengan empat pemimpin Pakatan Harapan pada 13 September 2021.

Menjadi amalan biasa untuk memanjangkan senarai cadangan pelantikan sama ada ke dalam Kabinet atau apa-apa jawatan tinggi kerajaan ke Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) untuk semakan.

Adakah SPRM akan meluluskan pelantikan penjenayah yang telah disabitkan bersalah sebagai Menteri Kabinet?

Adakah perkara ini berkaitan dengan kesunyian selama dua bulan daripada Ismail Sabri dan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM, Azam Baki, mengenai pertuduhan serius tentang konflik kepentingan yang telah didedahkan lebih daripada dua bulan yang lepas, sehingga Kerajaan Malaysia dan SPRM bersedia untuk berkompromi dengan usaha pencegahan rasuah mereka?

(Kenyataan Media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Selasa, 4 Januari 2022)

                This entry was posted on Tuesday, 4 January 2022, 10:30 am and is filed under
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Ismail Sabri’s clarification on no imminent  Cabinet reshuffle welcome but why he is still shy on commenting on the conflict-of-interest allegation against the  MACC Chief Commissioner?

(Versi BM)

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s clarification yesterday that there is no imminent Cabinet reshuffle is most welcome, but it highlights his failure or inability to comment on the conflict-of-interest allegation of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commissioner Chief Commissioner Azam Baki for more than two months.

The issue of Azam Baki has been swirling in the public limelight for more than a week since the resignation of Edmund Terence Gomes from MACC’s Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel and many personalities have called on Ismail Sabri to break his silence as the allegation of Azam Baki’s conflict-of-interest which was made more than two months ago.

It is impossible that Ismail Sabri is unaware of these calls.

A Prime Minister who is committed to a government which prioritises accountability, transparency and integrity would not have allowed such an allegation concerning conflict-of interest of the No. 1 officer in anti-corruption commission to go unrebutted for a single day.

Why is Ismail Sabri keeping his silence on the issue for more than two months, when the MACC comes directly under his control?

Is Ismail Sabri giving up on the anti-corruption efforts of his government?

It is reported that the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board chairperson, Abu Zahar Ujang, the MACC Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel Borhan Dolah and MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki are to hold a “tell-all” press conference later today.

The first question that the MACC trio must address is why they had not held the “tell all” press conference more than two months ago when the conflict-of-interest allegation against Azam first surfaced on Oct. 26, 2021.

I welcome Ismail Sabri’s clarification yesterday that there will be no imminent Cabinet reshuffle, but the MACC still have to answer a question that I posed yesterday: Would the MACC approve the appointment of a convicted corruption criminal as a Cabinet Minister?

I expect an answer from the MACC at its “tell-all” press conference today.

Malaysians and the world are worried that Malaysia will slide back to become again a kleptocracy.

Let the “tell-all” MACC press conference tell Malaysians what the MACC is doing to prevent Malaysia sliding back as a kleptocracy and what the MACC expect of the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2021 with regard to Malaysia, as the TI CPI 2021 is expected to be released later this month.

Yesterday, a senior MACC enforcement officer was charged in court for the misappropriation of RM25 million of cash evidence linked to a major corruption case.

It is the for the courts to decide whether the senior MACC officer was guilty.

But if the MACC is having problems inculcating the value of integrity among MACC officers, how does the MACC expect to be successful in inculcating the value of Integrity among the Malaysian population?

Shouldn’t the subject of integrity and anti-corruption be taught in schools from the primary level onwards?

Electoral watchdog Bersih has criticised Putrajaya for appointing Alor Gajah MP Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof as the chairperson of Boustead Holdings Bhd, on the ground that the appointment was unethical as it was an attempt to solicit support.

Bersih said the appointment presented the possibility of systemic abuse which will only come at the expense of the country’s development and the economic performance of government agencies, especially large-scale financial abuses like the 1MDB scandal.

The MACC “tell-all” press conference is the proper forum for the MACC to explain these and other developments concerning corruption in Malaysia.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Wednesday, 5th January 2022)

Penjelasan Ismail Sabri mengenai tiada rancangan rombakan Kabinet dialu-alukan tetapi mengapa beliau masih berdiam diri mengenai pertuduhan konflik kepentingan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM?

Penjelasan Perdana Menteri, Ismail Sabri, mengenai tiada rancangan rombakan Kabinet dialu-alukan tetapi perkara ini menonjolkan kegagalan beliau yang sehingga kini masih berdiam diri mengenai pertuduhan konflik kepentingan Ketua Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia, Azam Baki, yang telah timbul sejak lebih dari dua bulan yang lepas.

Isu Azam Baki telah menjadi tumpuan orang ramai sejak lebih seminggu selepas peletakan jawatan Edmund Terence Gomes daripada Panel Perundingan dan Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM dan ramai personaliti telah meminta Ismail Sabri untuk membuka mulut mengenai pertuduhan ini.

Mustahil Ismail Sabri tidak menyedari seruan ini.

Seorang Perdana Menteri yang komited kepada kerajaan yang mengutamakan akauntabiliti, ketelusan dan integriti tidak akan membiarkan dakwaan berkenaan konflik kepentingan pegawai utama dalam suruhanjaya antirasuah seperti ini untuk terus berlegaran walaupun untuk satu hari.

Mengapa Ismail Sabri berdiam diri dalam isu itu selama lebih dua bulan, sedangkan SPRM berada di bawah kawalannya?

Adakah Ismail Sabri berputus asa dengan usaha membanteras rasuah kerajaannya?

Dilaporkan bahawa Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM, Abu Zahar Ujang, Pengerusi Panel Perundingan dan Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM Borhan Dolah dan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM Azam Baki akan mengadakan sidang media yang akan “dedah segalanya” lewat hari ini.

Persoalan pertama yang mesti dijawab oleh trio SPRM ini adalah mengapa mereka tidak mengadakan sidang media “dedah segalanya” dua bulan lepas semasa dakwaan konflik kepentingan terhadap Azam mula-mula timbul pada 26 Okt. 2021.

Saya mengalu-alukan penjelasan Ismail Sabri semalam bahawa tidak akan ada rombakan Kabinet akan berlaku, tetapi SPRM masih perlu menjawab soalan yang saya kemukakan semalam: Adakah SPRM akan meluluskan pelantikan penjenayah rasuah yang disabitkan kesalahan sebagai Menteri Kabinet?

Saya mengharapkan jawapan daripada SPRM pada sidang media hari ini.

Rakyat Malaysia dan dunia bimbang Malaysia akan kembali menjadi kleptokrasi.

Biarkan sidang media SPRM ini memberitahu rakyat Malaysia apa yang SPRM lakukan untuk menghalang Malaysia mundur menjadi kleptokrasi dan apa yang SPRM jangkakan daripada Indeks Persepsi Rasuah Ketelusan Antarabangsa 2021 berkenaan dengan Malaysia, sebagaimana TI CPI 2021 dijangka akan dikeluarkan akhir bulan ini.

Semalam, seorang pegawai penguat kuasa kanan SPRM didakwa di mahkamah atas kesalahan penyelewengan RM25 juta wang tunai yang merupakan bukti yang berkaitan dengan kes rasuah besar.

Terpulang kepada mahkamah untuk memutuskan sama ada pegawai kanan SPRM itu bersalah.

Tetapi jika SPRM menghadapi masalah untuk menyemai nilai integriti dalam kalangan pegawai SPRM, bagaimanakah SPRM menjangkakan akan berjaya menerapkan nilai integriti dalam kalangan penduduk Malaysia?

Bukankah nilai integriti dan anti-rasuah ini perlu diajar dari peringkat sekolah rendah lagi?

Badan pemantau pilihan raya, Bersih, telah mengkritik Putrajaya kerana melantik Ahli Parlimen Alor Gajah Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof sebagai pengerusi Boustead Holdings Bhd, atas alasan pelantikan itu tidak beretika kerana ia cuba mendapatkan sokongan.

Bersih berkata pelantikan itu menimbulkan kemungkinan penyalahgunaan sistemik yang hanya akan mengorbankan pembangunan negara dan prestasi ekonomi agensi kerajaan, terutamanya penyalahgunaan kewangan berskala besar seperti skandal 1MDB.

Sidang media “dedah segalanya” SPRM adalah forum yang sesuai untuk SPRM menjelaskan perkara ini dan perkembangan lain berkaitan rasuah di Malaysia.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Rabu, 5 Januari 2022)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 5 January 2022, 8:14 am and is filed under
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Why Azam is not prepared to say that he is prepared appear before the Parliamentary SSC on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department to clear himself of the conflict-of-interest allegation against him first made more than two months ago

(Versi BM)

The Chairman of the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board Abu Zahar Ujang said the MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki had told the Board on Nov. 24 that his trading account was used by his brother to acquire shares in two companies in 2015.

Abu Zahar said the Board was satisfied with Azam’s explanation that he had neither pecuniary interest nor conflict of interest in the acquisition of those shares.

The pertinent question is why Azam is not prepared to say that he is prepared to appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department; to clear himself of the conflict-of-interest allegations first made against him more than two months ago.

Furthermore, is his brother prepared to appear before the Parliamentary SSC?

Surely a clearance of any conflict-of-interest by the Parliamentary SSC on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department has more credibility and value than a clearance from one of MACC’s own committees.

In this connection, the MACC owes the medical profession a full apology for releasing an advertisement about corrupt doctors at a time when the MACC is facing questions about its own integrity.

The ‘anti-corruption’ awareness video posted by the MACC on Twitter depicted an example of how bribery may take place at a clinic to obtain a medical certificate (MC).

The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai is right in his criticism of the video as “an insult to the sanctity and image of the medical profession”.

Why didn’t the MACC released a video depicting the corruption of Ministers or MPs?

I am generally disappointed by the MACC “tell-all” press conference today, as it had left many questions unanswered.

I had said that Malaysians and the world are worried that Malaysia will slide back to become again a kleptocracy and I had asked the “tell-all” MACC press conference tell Malaysians what the MACC is doing to prevent Malaysia sliding back as a kleptocracy and what the MACC expect of the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2021 with regard to Malaysia, as the TI CPI 2021 is expected to be released later this month.

Yesterday, a senior MACC enforcement officer was charged in court for the misappropriation of RM25 million of cash evidence linked to a major corruption case.

It is the for the courts to decide whether the senior MACC officer was guilty.

But if the MACC is having problems inculcating the value of integrity among MACC officers, how does the MACC expect to be successful in inculcating the value of Integrity among the Malaysian population?

Shouldn’t the subject of integrity and anti-corruption be taught in schools from the primary level onwards?

Electoral watchdog Bersih has criticised Putrajaya for appointing Alor Gajah MP Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof as the chairperson of Boustead Holdings Bhd, on the ground that the appointment was unethical as it was an attempt to solicit support.

Bersih said the appointment presented the possibility of systemic abuse which will only come at the expense of the country’s development and the economic performance of government agencies, especially large-scale financial abuses like the 1MDB scandal.

What is the MACC’s position on Redzuan’s appointment?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang; in Gelang Patah on Wednesday, 5th January 2022)

Mengapakah Azam tidak bersedia untuk mengatakan yang beliau bersedia untuk hadir memberikan kenyataan kepada Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen untuk membersihkan nama beliau daripada pertuduhan konflik kepentingan yang mula timbul sejak dua bulan yang lepas

Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM Abu Zahar Ujang berkata Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM Azam Baki telah memberitahu Lembaga Pengarah pada 24 November bahawa akaun dagangannya digunakan oleh adiknya untuk memperoleh saham dalam dua syarikat pada tahun 2015.

Abu Zahar berkata Lembaga Pengarah berpuas hati dengan penjelasan Azam bahawa beliau tidak mempunyai kepentingan kewangan mahupun konflik kepentingan dalam pemerolehan saham tersebut.

Mengapakah Azam tidak bersedia untuk mengatakan yang beliau bersedia untuk hadir memberikan kenyataan kepada Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen mengenai Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri untuk membersihkan nama beliau daripada pertuduhan konflik kepentingan yang mula timbul sejak dua bulan yang lepas.

Tambahan pula, adakah adiknya bersedia untuk hadir memberikan keterangan kepada Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen?

Pastinya pengesahan mengenai ketiadaan sebarang konflik kepentingan oleh Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen mengenai Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri adalah lebih berkredibiliti dan bernilai daripada keputusan sebuah jawatankuasa SPRM sendiri.

Selain itu, SPRM perlu memohon maaf kepada profesion perubatan kerana telah menyiarkan iklan mengenai doktor yang korup pada suatu masa di mana SPRM sendiri berhadapan dengan persoalan yang serius tentang integritinya sendiri.

Video kesedaran ‘anti rasuah’ yang disiarkan SPRM di Twitter menggambarkan contoh bagaimana rasuah boleh berlaku di klinik untuk mendapatkan sijil perubatan (MC).

Presiden Persatuan Perubatan Malaysia (MMA) Dr Koh Kar Chai betul dalam kritikannya terhadap video yang dikatakan sebagai “penghinaan terhadap kemurnian dan imej profesion perubatan”.

Mengapa SPRM tidak mengeluarkan video yang menggambarkan rasuah dalam kalangan Menteri atau Ahli Parlimen?

Saya secara amnya kecewa dengan sidang media “dedah segalanya” SPRM hari ini, kerana ia telah meninggalkan banyak persoalan yang tidak terjawab.

Saya telah berkata bahawa rakyat Malaysia dan dunia bimbang Malaysia akan kembali menjadi kleptokrasi dan saya telah meminta sidang media SPRM untuk memberitahu rakyat Malaysia apa yang SPRM lakukan untuk menghalang Malaysia mundur sebagai kleptokrasi dan apa jangkaan SPRM mengenai Indeks Persepsi Rasuah Transparency International 2021 untuk Malaysia, yang dijangkakan diterbitkan lewat bulan ini.

Semalam, seorang pegawai penguat kuasa kanan SPRM didakwa di mahkamah atas kesalahan penyelewengan RM25 juta wang tunai yang merupakan bukti yang berkaitan dengan kes rasuah besar.

Terpulang kepada mahkamah untuk memutuskan sama ada pegawai kanan SPRM itu bersalah.

Tetapi jika SPRM menghadapi masalah untuk menyemai nilai integriti dalam kalangan pegawai SPRM, bagaimanakah SPRM menjangkakan akan berjaya menerapkan nilai integriti dalam kalangan penduduk Malaysia?

Bukankah nilai integriti dan anti-rasuah ini perlu diajar dari peringkat sekolah rendah lagi?

Badan pemantau pilihan raya, Bersih, telah mengkritik Putrajaya kerana melantik Ahli Parlimen Alor Gajah Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof sebagai pengerusi Boustead Holdings Bhd, atas alasan pelantikan itu tidak beretika kerana ia cuba mendapatkan sokongan.

Bersih berkata pelantikan itu menimbulkan kemungkinan penyalahgunaan sistemik yang hanya akan mengorbankan pembangunan negara dan prestasi ekonomi agensi kerajaan, terutamanya penyalahgunaan kewangan berskala besar seperti skandal 1MDB.

Apakah pendirian SPRM mengenai pelantikan Redzuan?

(Kenyataan Media (2) Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Rabu, 5 Januari 2022)

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MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board acted ultra vires in clearing MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki of conflict-of-interest allegation when it has no power to do so under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009

(Versi BM)

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Anti-Corruption Advisory Board acted ultra vires in clearing the MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki of conflict-of-interest allegation when the Board has no power to do so under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.

Section 13 of the MACC Act 2009 stipulates six functions of the of the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board and none of them gives it power to clear the MACC Chief Commissioner of conflict-of-interest allegations.

The six functions of then MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board are:

(a) to advise the Commission on any aspect of the corruption problem in Malaysia;

(b) to advise the Commission on policies and strategies of the Commission in its efforts to eradicate corruption;

(c) to receive, scrutinise and endorse proposals from the Commission towards the efficient and effective running of the Commission;

(d) to scrutinise and endorse resource needs of the Commission to ensure its effectiveness;

(e) to scrutinise the annual report of the Commission before its submission to the Special Committee on Corruption; and

(f) to submit its comments to the Special Committee on Corruption as to the exercise by the Commission of its functions under this Act.

Azam’s plea of innocence is no answer to the conflict-of-interest allegation which had been publicly made against him more than two months ago.

There should be a proper and satisfactory investigation mechanism on the conflict-of-interest allegation before Azam is cleared.

Azam is wrong when he claimed that he was answerable only to the MACC’s Anti-

Corruption Advisory Board as he is finally answerable to the people of Malaysia through Parliament and other intermediaries for his integrity and performance.

It is sad to see the MACC going through its worst crisis of confidence today, even worse than during the 1MDB times when Malaysia turned into a kleptocracy.

Azam should go on leave and submit himself to a full investigation by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department, where Azam, his brother, the maker of Azam’s conflict-of-interest allegations are afforded full opportunities to state their case.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Thursday, 6th January 2022)

Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM bertindak secara ultra vires dalam membersihkan nama Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM Azam Baki daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan sedangkan badan itu tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk berbuat demikian di bawah Akta Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia 2009

Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) bertindak secara ultra vires dalam membersihkan nama Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM Azam Baki daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan sedangkan Lembaga Pengarah tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk berbuat demikian di bawah Akta Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia 2009.

Seksyen 13 Akta SPRM 2009 menetapkan enam fungsi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM dan tiada satu pun daripadanya memberi kuasa untuk membersihkan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan.

Enam fungsi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM ketika itu ialah:

(a) Untuk menasihati Suruhanjaya tentang apa-apa aspek masalah rasuah di Malaysia;

(b) Untuk menasihati Suruhanjaya tentang dasar dan strategi Suruhanjaya dalam usahanya untuk membanteras rasuah;

(c) Untuk menerima, meneliti dan menyokong cadangan daripada Suruhanjaya ke arah perjalanan cekap dan berkesan Suruhanjaya;

(d) Untuk meneliti dan menyokong keperluan sumber Suruhanjaya untuk memastikan keberkesanannya;

(e) Untuk meneliti laporan tahunan Suruhanjaya sebelum dikemukakan kepada Jawantankuasa Khas Mengenai Rasuah; dan

(f) Untuk mengemukakan ulasannya tentang perjalanan oleh Suruhanjaya sebelum dikemukakan kepada Jawatankuasa Khas mengenai Rasuah.

Pengakuan tidak bersalah Azam bukanlah jawapan kepada dakwaan konflik kepentingan yang telah dibuat secara terbuka terhadapnya lebih dua bulan lalu.

Perlu ada mekanisme penyiasatan yang betul dan memuaskan mengenai dakwaan konflik kepentingan sebelum Azam dibersihkan daripada dakwaan tersebut.

Azam silap apabila mendakwa bahawa beliau hanya bertanggungjawab kepada Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM kerana beliau akhirnya bertanggungjawab juga kepada rakyat Malaysia melalui Parlimen dan perantara lain atas integriti dan prestasinya.

Sedih melihat SPRM terpaksa menempuh krisis keyakinan yang paling teruk hari ini, malah lebih teruk berbanding zaman 1MDB apabila Malaysia bertukar menjadi kleptokrasi.

Azam harus bercuti dan menyerahkan dirinya kepada siasatan penuh oleh Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Parlimen mengenai Agensi di bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri, di mana Azam, adiknya, pihak yang terkait dalam dakwaan konflik kepentingan Azam diberi peluang sepenuhnya untuk membela diri mereka.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Khamis, 6 Januari 2022)

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 6 January 2022, 7:24 am and is filed under
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As MACC is facing worst crisis of confidence in 55 year history of anti-corruption agency, Ismail Sabri should extend special Parliament to two days with the second day specially devoted to restoring public confidence in government’s anti-corruption programme

The Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, has called for a special Dewan Rakyat meeting on January 20 focussing on the floods disaster in various areas in Malaysia.

It is an eternal shame to the Malaysian Parliament that the government was not prepared to have a special debate on the floods disaster when the floods were at or near their worst at a time when Parliament was still in session, but now there is going to be a special one-day Parliament on the floods disaster on January 2001.

At present, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is facing its worst crisis of confidence in the 55-year history of the country’s anti-corruption agency (which started in 1967 as the Anti-Corruption Agency under its first director Harun Hashim).

Ismail Sabri should extend the Special Parliament to two days, with the second day on January 21 specially devoted to restoring public confidence in the government’s anti-corruption programme.

Only then can the Malaysian Parliament and the Prime Minister be said to be on top of the Big Issues confronting the nation.

A former MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board Chairman has endorsed my statement yesterday that the Board had acted ultra vires in clearing the MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki of conflict-of-interest allegation when the Board has no power to do so under Section 13 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.

The former MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board Chairman said:

“When I was chairperson, I was aware of the fact that I was put in a purely advisory capacity. Things were done on a need-to-know basis, so issues outside our scope were really out of our reach.”

He said the role of the advisory board is to advise the commission on any aspect of the corruption problem in Malaysia and on policies and strategies of the commission in its efforts to eradicate corruption, as stipulated under the MACC Act 2009.

It is also entrusted, among others, to scrutinise and endorse proposals from the commission towards the efficient and effective running of the commission.

It is hilarious to say the least that the MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board had cleared the MACC Chief Commissioner of the conflict-of-interest allegation when it is not empowered under the law to do so.

Furthermore, the MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board had cleared Azam in a manner which any ordinary Malaysian would find amazing – without any proper investigation or calling up the relevant people to testify but solely on the statement of the Chief Commissioner!

The former MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board Chairman was most scathing when he said:

“The whole thing is a joke. You call these people commissioners, but they are just government officers. The commissioners should be in a board of commissioners, which should be a governing body, but it has never existed. (It is now) the tail wagging the dog, instead of the dog wagging the tail.”

There is a double confidence crisis – a confidence crisis over the MACC Chief Commissioner, Azam Baki, and another confidence crisis over the usefulness and value of the five so-called “independent” committees that monitor the MACC on its integrity and performance.

This double crisis of confidence in the government anti-corruption programme should be addressed and resolved in the second day of the Special Parliament, preferably on January 21, 2022.

I am surprised that PAS has come to the defence of Azam Baki, saying that the latter’s “tell-all” press conference on the conflict-of-interest allegation should put matters to rest.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department is the PAS MP for Kuala Krai, Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Rahman.

Is it as a result of the directive from his party PAS which is the reason why the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department has not met or summoned Azam Baki to appear before the SSC to clear himself of the conflict-of-interest allegation?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 7th January 2022)

Memandangkan SPRM berdepan krisis keyakinan terburuk dalam sejarah 55 tahun agensi anti-rasuah, Ismail Sabri perlu melanjutkan sesi Parlimen khas kepada dua hari dengan hari kedua dikhususkan untuk memulihkan keyakinan orang ramai terhadap program pencegahan rasuah oleh kerajaan

Perdana Menteri, Ismail Sabri, mahu mengadakan sidang khas Dewan Rakyat pada 20 Januari ini bagi membahaskan isu bencana banjir yang melanda pelbagai kawasan di Malaysia.

Adalah memalukan apabila kerajaan tidak bersedia untuk mengadakan mesyuarat khas mengenai banjir semasa bencana itu melanda negara pada tahap yang paling buruk ketika Parlimen masih bersidang sebelum ini.

Ketika ini, Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) sedang menghadapi krisis keyakinan yang paling teruk dalam sejarah 55 tahun agensi anti-rasuah negara (yang bermula pada 1967 sebagai Badan Pencegah Rasuah di bawah pengarah pertamanya Harun Hashim) .

Ismail Sabri sepatutnya melanjutkan sesi mesyuarat khas Parlimen kepada dua hari, dengan hari kedua pada 21 Januari dikhususkan untuk memulihkan keyakinan orang ramai terhadap usaha pencegahan rasuah oleh kerajaan.

Selepas itu, barulah Parlimen Malaysia dan Perdana Menteri boleh dikatakan telah berjaya menangani isu-isu besar yang dihadapi negara.

Mantan Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM telah mengesahkan kenyataan saya semalam bahawa Lembaga Pengarah telah bertindak ultra vires dalam membersihkan nama Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM Azam Baki daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan kerana Lembaga Pengarah tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk berbuat demikian di bawah Seksyen 13 Akta Akta Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia 2009.

Mantan Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM itu berkata:

“Semasa saya menjadi pengerusi, saya sedar hakikat bahawa saya diletakkan dalam kapasiti menasihat semata-mata. Perkara dilakukan atas dasar hal yang perlu diketahui saja, jadi isu di luar skop kami benar-benar di luar jangkauan kami.”

Beliau berkata, peranan lembaga penasihat itu adalah untuk menasihati suruhanjaya itu mengenai sebarang aspek masalah rasuah di Malaysia dan dasar serta strategi suruhanjaya itu dalam usaha membanteras rasuah, seperti yang termaktub di bawah Akta SPRM 2009.

Lembaga itu juga diamanahkan, antara lain untuk meneliti dan mengesahkan cadangan daripada suruhanjaya supaya ia menjadi cekap dan berkesan.

Adalah melucukan untuk mengatakan bahawa Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM sekurang-kurangnya telah membersihkan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan sedangkan badan itu tidak diberi kuasa di bawah undang-undang untuk berbuat demikian.

Tambahan pula, Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM telah membersihkan nama Azam dengan cara yang begitu menakjubkan – tanpa sebarang siasatan yang sewajarnya atau memanggil individu yang berkenaan untuk memberi keterangan, sebaliknya bergantung sepenuhnya terhadap kenyataan Ketua Pesuruhjaya tersebut!

Mantan Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM itu mengeluarkan kenyataan paling tajam:

“Semuanya adalah gurauan. Anda panggil mereka ini pesuruhjaya, tetapi mereka hanya pegawai kerajaan. Pesuruhjaya sepatutnya menjadi lembaga pesuruhjaya, yang sepatutnya menjadi badan pentadbir, tetapi ia tidak pernah wujud,”

Terdapat krisis keyakinan berganda – krisis keyakinan terhadap Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM, Azam Baki, dan satu lagi krisis keyakinan terhadap kebergunaan dan nilai lima jawatankuasa yang dianggap “bebas” yang memantau integriti dan prestasi SPRM.

Krisis keyakinan berganda terhadap program pencegahan rasuah kerajaan ini wajar ditangani dan diselesaikan pada hari kedua mesyuarat khas Parlimen, sebaik-baiknya pada 21 Januari 2022.

Saya terkejut apabila PAS bertindak membela Azam Baki, dengan mengatakan bahawa penjelasan yang diberikan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM itu dalam satu sidang media baru-baru ini sudah memadai untuk menutup isu tersebut.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Bagi Agensi-Agensi Di Bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri adalah Ahli Parlimen PAS Kuala Krai, Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Rahman.

Adakah arahan daripada PAS yang menjadi punca Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Bagi Agensi-Agensi Di Bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri tidak bermesyuarat atau memanggil Azam Baki untuk menghadap SSC bagi membersihkan dirinya daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan?

(Kenyataan Media oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Kuala Lumpur pada hari Jumaat, 7 Januari 2022)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 7 January 2022, 3:14 pm and is filed under
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Could  the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department meet next week  and table a report on the conflict-of-interest allegations against the MACC Chief Commissioner in Parliament by  January 20?

(Versi BM)

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commissioner (MACC) Chief Commissioner Azam Baki has opened the Pandora’s Box.

Azam has not only plunged the MACC into its worst confidence crisis, not only in the 12-year history of MACC and 55-year history of Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency, he has raised the question about the usefulness of the five purportedly “independent” committees to ensure the MACC’s integrity and performance and to protect the citizens’ rights.

There is the MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board which allegedly cleared Azam of interest-of-conflict allegations publicly made more than two months ago without conducting any investigations but purely on Azam’s explanation, acting completely outside its statutory powers under the MACC Act 2009.

Two questions arise:

Firstly, what made the Chairman of the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board Chariman Abu Zahar Ujang and the other Board members believe that they have the power to declare that the MACC Chief Commissioner innocent with regard to the conflict-of-interest allegations made publicly more than two months ago – and shockingly, without any investigation?

Secondly, what made Azam Baki believe that the MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board has such powers to declare him innocent with regard to the conflict-of-interest allegations, prompting him to declare that he was only answerable to the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board and dismissing in the process the respective roles of Attorney-General, the courts, Parliament and the people of Malaysia!

When the Chairman and members of the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board and the MACC Chief Commissioner could be so blur and confused about powers of the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board under the MACC Act 2009, how could Malaysians expect the MACC to be a world-class anti-corruption agency?

It is clear that the MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board does not and cannot have the last say whether Azam is cleared of the conflict-of-interest allegations.

Azam’s demand for RM10 million damages and a public apology from the whistleblower, Lalitha Kunaratnam does not ipso facto clear him of innocence of the conflict-of-interest allegations.

Is Azam prepared to go on leave until this legal suit against Lalitha Kunaratnam is completed?

I agree with academician Edmund Terence Gomez that Azam should withdraw the letter of demand against Lalitha and instead appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department to clear himself of the conflict-of-interest allegations. Is Azam prepared to do so?

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri is convening a special parliamentary meeting on January 20, 2022 on the floods disaster in the country.

Is the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on the Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department capable of meeting next week so that its report on the conflict-of-interest allegations against the MACC Chief Commissioner could be tabled in Parliament on January 20, 2022?

The Parliamentary Special Select Committee on the Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department should invite NGOs concerned about the issue, whether Bersih, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), Transparency International Malaysia, Rasuah Busters or Suaram to send representatives to participate in its hearing on the conflict-of-interest allegations against the MACC Chief Commissioner.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Gelang Patah on Friday, 7th January 2022)

Bolehkah Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Bagi Agensi-Agensi Di Bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri bermesyuarat minggu depan dan membentangkan laporan mengenai dakwaan konflik kepentingan terhadap Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM di Parlimen pada 20 Januari?

Ketua Pesuruhjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) Azam Baki telah membuka kotak Pandora.

Azam bukan sahaja telah menjerumuskan SPRM ke dalam krisis keyakinan yang paling buruk, bukan sahaja dalam sejarah 12 tahun SPRM dan sejarah 55 tahun kewujudan agensi anti-rasuah Malaysia, beliau telah menimbulkan persoalan tentang lima fungsi jawatankuasa yang dikatakan “bebas” untuk memastikan integriti dan prestasi SPRM serta melindungi hak rakyat.

Terdapat Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM yang didakwa membebaskan Azam daripada dakwaan kepentingan konflik yang dibuat secara terbuka lebih dua bulan lalu tanpa menjalankan sebarang siasatan tetapi bersandarkan semata-mata kepada penjelasan Azam, bertindak sepenuhnya di luar kuasa berkanun di bawah Akta SPRM 2009.

Dua persoalan timbul:

Pertama, apakah yang membuatkan Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM Abu Zahar Ujang dan ahli Lembaga Pengarah lain percaya bahawa mereka mempunyai kuasa untuk mengisytiharkan bahawa Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM tidak bersalah berhubung dakwaan konflik kepentingan yang dibuat secara terbuka sejak dua bulan lalu – dan yang mengejutkan, tanpa melakukan sebarang siasatan?

Kedua, apa yang membuatkan Azam Baki percaya bahawa Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM mempunyai kuasa sedemikian untuk mengisytiharkan beliau tidak bersalah berhubung dakwaan konflik kepentingan, mendorong beliau mengisytiharkan bahawa beliau hanya bertanggungjawab kepada Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM dan dalam proses itu menolak peranan Peguam Negara, mahkamah, Parlimen dan rakyat Malaysia!

Apabila Pengerusi dan ahli Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM dan Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM boleh menjadi begitu kabur dan keliru tentang kuasa Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM di bawah Akta SPRM 2009, bagaimana rakyat Malaysia boleh mengharapkan SPRM menjadi agensi anti-rasuah bertaraf dunia?

Jelas sekali bahawa Lembaga Penasihat Pencegahan Rasuah SPRM tidak dan tidak boleh membuat keputusan secara tuntas tentang sama ada Azam dibebaskan daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan.

Tuntutan Azam untuk ganti rugi RM10 juta dan permohonan maaf secara terbuka daripada pemberi maklumat, Lalitha Kunaratnam tidak dengan sendirinya membersihkan beliau daripada sebarang kesalahan berhubung dakwaan konflik kepentingan.

Adakah Azam bersedia untuk bercuti sehingga saman undang-undang terhadap Lalitha Kunaratnam ini selesai?

Saya bersetuju dengan ahli akademik Edmund Terence Gomez bahawa Azam harus menarik balik surat tuntutan terhadap Lalitha dan sebaliknya menghadap Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Bagi Agensi-Agensi Di Bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri untuk membersihkan dirinya daripada dakwaan konflik kepentingan. Adakah Azam bersedia untuk berbuat demikian?

Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri sedang mengadakan mesyuarat khas parlimen pada 20 Januari 2022 mengenai bencana banjir di negara ini.

Adakah Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Bagi Agensi-Agensi Di Bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri boleh bermesyuarat minggu depan supaya laporan mengenai dakwaan konflik kepentingan terhadap Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM dapat dibentangkan di Parlimen pada 20 Januari 2022?

Jawatankuasa Pilihan Khas Bagi Agensi-Agensi Di Bawah Jabatan Perdana Menteri perlu menjemput NGO yang prihatin terhadap isu itu, sama ada Bersih, Pusat Memerangi Rasuah dan Kronisme (C4), Transparency International Malaysia, Rasuah Busters atau Suaram untuk menghantar wakil bagi menyertai sesi pendengaran mengenai dakwaan konflik kepentingan terhadap Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM.

(Kenyataan Media Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Gelang Patah pada hari Jumaat, 7 Januari 2022)

                This entry was posted on Friday, 7 January 2022, 7:58 am and is filed under
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Ismail has missed the train altogether – is he suggesting that two-and-a-half months is not enough time for him say something on Azam-gate, especially as we have the most ludicrous situation of Azam investigating Azam if MACC had been investigating for the last two months!

The Prime Minister Ismail Sabri has “missed the train” altogether when he asked for space for the authorities to thoroughly investigate the conflict-of-interest allegations against the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner, Azam Baki.

Is he suggesting that two-and-a-half months is not enough time for him as Prime Minister directly responsible for MACC to say  something on Azam-gate, especially we have the most ludicrous situation of Azam investigating Azam if there had been such MACC  investigation in the past two months.

Ismail said in Kota Marudu that the MACC is investigating the conflict-of-interest allegations against Azam.

When did the MACC start its investigation on the allegations, why was this not revealed publicly before, and in particular, why neither Abu Zahar Ujang, the Chairman of the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board nor the MACC Chief Commissioner, Azam Baki, had said anything about it in their “tell-all” press conference on Monday on 5th January, 2022?

Furthermore, how can MACC investigate its Chief Commissioner when he is still the No. 1 figure in the MACC?

Ismail cannot be impotent any longer and the first thing he must do is either to sack Azam or ask him to go on leave and appoint a new head for the MACC during the MACC investigation of  Azam-gate.

Furthermore,  six members of the MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (ACAB) have disputed their chairman, Abu Zahar Ujang’s account relating to the conflict-of-intrest allegations against  Azam Baki – which is a vote of no confidence on Abu Zahar as their chairman.

The six ACAB members said that it was not the Board’s position to clear Azam of the conflict-of-interest allegation and it was Abu Zahar’s personal opinion.

As all the six ACAB  members have accused Abu Zahar of duplicity and dishonesty, he should immediately resign or Ismail Sabri should remove him as ACAB Chairman.

The statement by the six ACAB members have also cast Azam’s statement “I am answerable only to the advisory board” in new light – showing it to be both impudent and imprudent as well as wrong-headed.

Azam has no option but  to go on leave or be sacked as MACC Chief Commissioner under the circumstances.

The Azam-gate has become a test  not only for Azam as MACC Chief Commissioner but also for Ismail Sabri as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia – whether Ismail is going to be not only the  Prime Minister with the shortest tenure  but the most ineffective Prime Minister of Malaysia.

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday,  8th January 2022)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 8 January 2022, 5:10 pm and is filed under
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Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s silence on  Azam-gate is most ominous when he is at the same time destroying the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary

Malaysia is facing its  worst crisis of confidence over its anti-corruption agency, but the person who should be most concerned, the Prime Minister under whom the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) directly comes under, is blissfully indifferent and unconcerned.

Its coming to two weeks since academician Edmund Terence Gomez resigned as a member of MACC Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel in protest against MACC’s failure to act on the conflict-of-interest allegations against the MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki but the Prime Minister has not said a single word of Azam-gate, the latest scandal of scandal-ridden Malaysia.

Azam-gate has new scandals of own, including:

·         The MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board clearing Azam of the conflict-of-interest allegations when it had no such powers under the MACC Act 2009 and without  any investigation, but solely on Azam’s statement of denial;

·         The revelation by four Opposition MPs on the Parliamentary Special Select Committee for Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department that a meeting of the SSC to summon Azam on the conflict-of-interest allegations must first get approval from the Executive, making nonsense of the important  doctrine  of separation of powers among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s silence on  Azam-gate is most ominous when he is at the same time destroying the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.

PAS has come to the defence of Azam Baki, saying that the latter’s “tell-all” press conference on the conflict-of-interest allegation should put matters to rest.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department is the PAS MP for Kuala Krai, Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Rahman.

Is it as a result of the directives from his party PAS and the Prime Minister  which is the reason why the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department has not met or summoned Azam Baki to appear before the SSC to clear himself of the conflict-of-interest allegation?

For how long is Ismail Sabri going to keep his silence on the Azam-gate?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 8th  January 2022)

                This entry was posted on Saturday, 8 January 2022, 9:14 am and is filed under
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Events of last few  days a rehearsal of what to expect in the 15th General Election

The events of the last few  days were a rehearsal of what to expect in the 15th General Election which the top UMNO leadership wants to be held immediately.

In what is a coming-out speech for the former premier at the Makkal Sakthi Malaysia function, Najib Razak claimed he had paid the price for telling the truth to the people in the 14th general election.

He said in the GE14, he had a choice of whether to promise “heaven on earth” that would be impossible to fulfil or he could tell the people the truth. He chose to speak the truth and paid the price for telling the truth.

Not a word on the 1MDB scandal, which was described by the US Attorney-General at the time, Jeff Sessions, at a global forum on asset recovery in December 2017  as “kleptocracy at its worst” with the US Department of Justice working to provide justice to the victims of the 1MDB scandal.

Jeff Sessions said corrupt officials in 1MDB had spent US$200 million on real estate in Southern California and New York, US$130 million on artwork, invested US$100 million in an American music label and US $265 million on a yacht –  in total, laundered more than US$4.5 billion in funds through a complex web of opaque transactions and fraudulent shell companies with bank accounts in countries ranging from Switzerland and Singapore to Luxembourg and the United States.

I find it surreal that while Najib is lamenting his plight for being honest, a US judge was setting a February date for the 1MDB corruption trial of a former Goldman Sachs banker, Roger Ng.

Najib’s denial syndrome is repeatedly in  the Azam-gate involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner, Azam Baki, who vowed yesterday to fight allegations of misconduct, that he is “still working and not on leave”,  when for over two months, neither the MACC nor the Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, did anything over serious conflict-of-interest allegations against Azam.

Just like Azam, Najib claimed that he could “sleep soundly at night” and talk about

“morals and ethics” without mentioning the 1MDB scandal at all!

This is what the country is confronted with, and will be the single biggest  issue in the 15th general election – is Malaysia to relapse to a kleptocracy, the object of international scorn and ridicule, which the historic decision of the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 had provided an opportunity to save Malaysia.

Last month, Najib said he was disappointed in the Court of Appeal’s decision in upholding his guilty verdict in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case and sentenced to 12 years’ jail and RM210 million fine and instructed his defence team to immediately file an appeal to the Federal Court.

Najib has not given up his hope to return as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia in the 15th general election.

The crucial question is whether he could stand as a candidate in the 15th General Election.

In the last half-a-century, Malaysia has lost its way which is reflected our national decline, losing to one country after another.  After losing out to Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, are we to decline further and see Indonesia and Philippines overtaking us in the coming decades?

We must buck up, stop our decline and strive to be a world-class great nation. We must not relapse to be a kleptocracy, ending up as a kakistocray and a failed state.

This is what the 15th general election is all about – whether to relapse as a kleptocracy  or take the initial steps to become a world-class great nation.

To do that, we must recognise Malaysia as a plural society – a multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious  and multi-cultural nation which can leverage on the best values and virtues of the four great civilisations which meet in confluence in Malaysia, Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western.

“Malaysia, Truly Asia” must not  be a mere slogan to promote tourism but be an integral part of our  national ethos for our greatest asset is our unity in diversity.

We must return to basics and uphold the principles embedded in the Malaysian Constitution and the Rukun Negara: the constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, rule of law, the doctrine of separation of powers, good governance and respect for human rights.

This is why it is a matter of grave concern when the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department had to seek approval from the Executive before it could summon the MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki to explain the conflict-of-interest allegations, plunging the MACC to the worst crisis of confidence in the nation’s history.

I call on the Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri to declare immediately that the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department is not subordinate to any Ministry, and does not have to seek the clearance from any Ministry to hold meetings, and that he upholds the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in  Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 9th January 2022)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 9 January 2022, 7:25 am and is filed under
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Why is Azam Baki not prepared to volunteer to appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies in the Prime Minister’s Department to clear himself of conflict-of-interest allegations?

The Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri said in Kota Marudu yesterday that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)  is investigating the conflict-of-interest allegations into the MACC Chief Commissioner, Azam Baki.

Is this the correct information supplied to the Prime Minister?

If so, this present a very surreal scenario in the MACC – who is leading the MACC investigation against the Chief Commissioner Azam Baki?

So long as the Prime Minister and the MACC cannot throw light on this issue, the Malaysian public are entitled to question the veracity of this information.

The joint  statement  today by the three MACC deputy commissioners, declaring their support for Azam Baki and dismissing the conflict-of-interest allegations against Azam  as “motivated by politics of revenge to discredit MACC’s image and credibility” is ill-advised and most extraordinary?

Does the joint statement by the three MACC deputy commissioners add anything in clearing Azam of the conflict-of-interest allegations?

What is the use of three MACC deputy commissioners to support the leadership of Azam as MACC Chief Commissioner if the whole country thinks otherwise?

Are the three MACC deputy commissioners seriously suggesting that  academician Edmund Terence Gomez’s resignation from the MACC Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel was motivated by politics?

Could the three MACC deputy commissioners be clearer and more specific?

The whole Azam-gate controversy would have been resolved if Azam is  prepared to volunteer to appear before the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies in the Prime Minister’s Department to clear himself of conflict-of-interest allegations.

Why is Azam not prepared to do so?

(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 9th January 2022)

                This entry was posted on Sunday, 9 January 2022, 1:42 pm and is filed under
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