Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA): hands off the internal affair of the Dewan Rakyat

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Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA): hands off the internal affair of the Dewan Rakyat

Press Statement
by Dr Tan Seng Giaw

(Kuala Lumpur, Thursday): Last week, the parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Noh Omar named 14 MPs with mileage claims exceeding RM10,000 a month. The media and the public wonder. Is there irregularity or rort?

On 30 September, 2003, the ACA investigations director (Datuk Nordin Ismail) said he would interview the 14 MPs. (Yesterday, Dewan Rakyat clerk Datuk Mohd Salleh Hassan confirmed that two senior ACA officers from Putrajaya called on him to determine how claims were made. They had taken copies of claims made by the MPs.)

ACA is under the Prime Minister’s Department that is responsible to Parliament. How can it interfere with the internal affair of the Dewan Rakyat?

In the parliamentary system, there is separation of powers, namely, the legislature (Parliament), the executive (Government) and the judiciary (Courts). As an independent power, Parliament has its standing orders and select committees. As the above-stated claims are processed and kept at the finance section of Parliament, the select committee can investigate the matter.

The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is high up in the hierarchy of leaders in the country. This should rightly be so. In some countries, the Speaker ranks fourth or fifth in the hierarchy. The ACA snoops around the Dewan Rakyat, disregarding the position of the Speaker and the independence of Parliament.

Parliamentary standing order 76(1) empowers the House to deal with its members who have misbehaved including rorting. It can punish its miscreant members who are found guilty including sending them to jail.

Biro Tatanegara

This bureau has several objectives that include the inculcation of patriotism and the love for the country in all strata of society with the view to create a strong and moral race and nation. In 2003, the allocation for the bureau is RM33 million. For next year, it is RM84 million. This allocation should not be abused. It should be to fulfill the objectives of the bureau.

Malaysians must always have tolerance, understanding, moral strength, unity of mind and purpose, mutual respect, goodwill, harmony, peace, friendliness and unity in diversity. The bureau should play its part to achieve these.

(The bureau should be fair and just to all races, all religions and all political parties. It should be credible. All reports and white papers must be prepared by independent committees including royal commission of enquiry.)

On 25 September, 2003, during the debate on the 2004 Supply Bill (Budget), the Honourable MP for Bachok (Mr Wan Nik bin Wan Yussof) quoted K.G.Ratnam (on Communalism and the Political Process in Malaysia), Daniel Mosley and Arend Lijphart with comments on the May 13 incident. He mentioned the late Tunku Abdul Rahman. He concluded thus: “…akhirnya DAP mengambil kesempatan untuk mengadu domba mencetus rusuhan 13 Mei selepas pilihan raya.” (…finally DAP seizes the opportunity to create friction [between the races] sparking the May 13 riot after the [1969] general elections.)

[If a book or report or white paper is produced by a truly independent committee, there may be more truth in it. Otherwise, it may be construed as biased.]

I have read the books by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman “May 13 Before and After, (1969)” and “The May 13 Tragedy – A Report by the National Operations Council (1969)” and the Government White Papers “Threat To Muslim Unity and National Security (1984: 41 pages) and the Memali Incident (1986: 23 pages).

In his book, the late Tunku talked about UMNO Ultras ( Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad), the Communists, DAP, Gerakan, PPP and PAS. [While he says ‘…the DAP, the Gerakan and the PPP stirred up Chinese emotions and sentiments…’, he devotes one whole chapter (8 pages) to PMIP (PAS ). For example, on page 30, he writes:“ This is only one example of the extent of the deception and malpractices to which the PMIP resorted to gain their political ends. In fact, their activities were most mischievous, Machiavellian opportunism of the worst kind, previously not heard of in Malaysian political history.”]

[Similarly, the White Papers stated above refer to PAS.]

Biro Tatanegara should try its utmost to ensure that all white papers and reports that affect unity and love for the country are truly impartial. Otherwise, it cannot achieve its objectives such as creating a strong and moral race and nation.

(2/10/2003)

* Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Vice Chairman & MP for Kepong