Media Statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, 26^th August 2009: 

All Malaysians agree with Najib that MACC should not be dragged into political games, except that overwhelming majority blame Umno/BN as the culprits responsible for undermining public confidence in the independence, professionalism and integrity of MACC

The call by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should not be dragged into political games makes history as one which have unanimous support of ordinary Malaysians – except that the targets in the minds of the overwhelming majority of Malaysians are completely different from those intended by Najib.

I have no doubt that if a opinion poll is conducted among Malaysians, almost 100 per cent would agree with Najib’s call, except that such an opinion poll would show that the overwhelming majority of easily over 90 per cent regard the Umno/BN government as the culprits responsible for dragging MACC into “political games” and undermining public confidence in the independence, professionalism and integrity of MACC while only a very small percentage would think like Najib in targeting the Pakatan Rakyat.

Najib said MACC’s credibility must be intact and it must be allowed to carry out its role in fighting graft so the country could be administered efficiently and effectively.

Again, Najib is right, except that he is raising national eye-brows in refusing to admit that the guilty parties are Umno/Barisan Nasional leaders and is trying to make the Pakatan Rakyat the scapegoat for the MACC’s rapid loss of public confidence.

Najib said: “We should not be quick to accuse or pass judgment against the commission so much so that people start to question its credibility. Leave it out of political games and let the officers do their work.”

It is the Umno/BN and not Pakatan Rakyat who are getting MACC involved in their political games and not allow MACC officers to do their work.

For instance, why is the MACC declaring war on Pakatan Rakyat instead of declaring war against corruption if not to suit the political agenda of Umno/BN?

This was why in the past seven months since its establishment, MACC was more interested in playing to the tune of Barisan Nasional’s “political games” such as the following:

• Harassing the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Khalid when the MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said announced in February that the MACC had “good and strong evidence” that Khalid had misused his powers over the now infamous “Car and Cows” allegation!

• Took part in the Umno/BN conspiracy in the unethical, undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak, resulting in the toppling of the Perak Pakatan Rakyat state government.

• Playing a key role in the next Umno/BN power grab conspiracy in trying to topple the PR Selangor state governments, targetting PR Exco and State Assemby members allegedly for abuses of power and improprieties in constituency allocations.

As a result, the MACC was only interested in probing allegations of impropriety of RM2,400 constituency allocation, which resulted in the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock at MACC premises on July 16, while showing no interest whatsoever to mega-scandals whether the RM24 million “Istana” Khir Toyo or the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandals.

At the Teoh Beng Hock inquest yesterday, a MACC investigating officer Deputy Superintendent Mohd Anuar Ismail admitted that he had personally lodged a report against Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Assemblymen for graft on the instruction of his superior officer, the MACC Deputy Director in Selangor Hishamuddin Hashim to initiate MACC investigations.

I find this amazing as the MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said had challenged me to lodge a report against the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for corruptly abusing his powers in flying RMAF Nuri helicopter to officiate Umno divisional meetings in Sabah completely unrelated to his duties as DPM.

If a MACC investigating officer could be instructed by his MACC superior to lodge a report against Pakatan Rakyat Exco and Assembly members on purported misuse of constituency allocations, why couldn’t the MACC Chief Commissioner instruct the MACC to lodge an official report against Muhyiddin so that MACC could start investigations?

The MACC has made history in forfeiting public confidence in a matter of a few months from its establishment.

Is Najib prepared to stop Umno/BN leaders from stop playing games with MACC and allow it full freedom of operations in accordance with an anti-corruption body with independence, integrity and professionalism to eradicate corruption – including the freedom to lodge a report against the Deputy Prime Minister and interrogate him for abuses of power?

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor