Media Statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, 21^st March 2009: 

Who will investigate MACC Chief Commissioner Ahmad Said for abuse of powers and charge him for “corruption”?

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) Chief Commissioner, Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan is not shy in being seen as UMNO catspaw, not to fight corruption, but to further Umno’s ulterior motive and political agenda in its undemocratic, unethical, illegal and unconstitutional power grab in Perak.

For the second time since his appointment as MACC Chief Commissioner this year, Ahmad Said has shown his open bias against Pakatan Rakyat when he said in Kuantan yesterday that there were “elements of misuse of power” in the suspension of the usurper Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir and his six illegitimate executive councilors by the Perak State Assembly Committee of Privileges, headed by the Speaker V. Sivakumar.

The first time was last month when Ahmad Said turned the MACC into a national joke, becoming known as “Malaysian Agency for Car and Cows”, when he publicly declared that the agency had “good and strong evidence” of corruption against the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid over the car and cows controversy, destroying whatever credibility the MACC might have among Malaysians that it would be independent, professional and uninfluenced by the dictates of its political masters.

After the nation-wide outrage and furore over Ahmad Said’s statement reducing the agency into a “Malaysian Agency for Car and Cows”, a statement was issued early this month after a meeting of the MACC Advisory Board chaired by the former Chief Justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamed that the top MACC officials will not comment on ongoing cases before the investigation papers on the cases are completed or a decision is made by the deputy public prosecutor.

As Ahmad Said has violated this MACC policy in making the premature, misplaced and highly prejudicial statement against the Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar by declaring that there were ”elements of misuse of power” in the suspension of Zambry and the six illegitimate executive councillors, who is going to investigate the MACC Chief Commissioner for “abuse of power” and charge him with corruption as the MACC chief has equated “abuse of power” with corruption under the MACC Act?

This is not the only instance of Ahmad Said’s blatant abuse of power , as even more serious is the MACC’s contempt and reckless disregard for the foundation principle of parliamentary democracy - the doctrine of separation of powers among the executive, legislature and the judidicary whereby every legislature is the master of its own house permitting no interference, harassment or intimidation from the other branches of government.

Whether Zambry and his excos had been properly suspended from the Perak State Legislative Assembly is a matter for the Perak state assembly to decide and not for the MACC to intrude and interfere on behalf of its Umno political masters.

The MACC harassment of the Perak Speaker and state assembly members are all the more reprehensible when there can be no doubt about the propriety about suspension decision of the Perak Assembly Committee of Privileges as the rules of natural justice including prior notification of the charges and the right to be heard were fully accorded to Zambry and his retinue of six.

Last week, the DAP MP for Puchong, Gobind Singh Deo was suspended for a year without pay and parliamentary privilege in a kangaroo court-style of proceeding in Parliament.

Is the MACC Chief Commissioner going to countenance the summoning, questioning and investigation of the Speaker of Parliament, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin, for “elements of abuse and misuse of power” in not allowing Gobind the fundamental right to be heard before a vote was taken, or for the earlier decision in allowing the Ministerial motion to be tabled without proper notice as stipulated by the Standing Orders or for imposing a guillotine on the debate when there were many MPs who had wanted to speak on such an important issue and were unable to do so?

Of course not, the MACC Chief Commissioner would not dare to think of such an action and I fully agree that such a scenario is completely unacceptable, as the principle that Parliamnet must be master of its own House without interference, harassment or intimidation from the other two branches of government cannot be compromised.

But why is the MACC Chief Commissioner harassing the Perak State Speaker when the notion of committing the same contempt against the Parliament Speaker is so abhorrent?

If this is not abuse of power, I don’t know what is.

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