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The arrest of the Palong Assemblyman is probably a “tip of the iceberg” and the ACA must convince Malaysians that it has the power not just to arrest “small fries” involving bribes in thousands but also those “big sharks” with corruption cases run into tens of millions of ringgit   Media Conference Statement by Loke Siew Fook (Seremban, Thursday): The arrest of Negeri Sembilan State Assemblyman for Palong Datuk Kamarudin Mohd Din by the state Anti-Corruption Agency on Tuesday for alleged graft had brought shame not only to the Negeri Sembilan state government but the people of Negeri Sembilan in general.  This is not the first corruption case involving an elected representative in Negeri Sembilan. Last year, the UMNO State Assemblyman for Gemencheh who was also a State Executive Councilor Datuk Waad Mansor was found guilty on corruption charges.   The administration of the new Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has entered its third month with a lot emphasizes on the talk of fighting corruption but so far the talk remains talk with no aggressive follow-up actions by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). The arrest of the Palong Assemblyman is probably a “tip of the iceberg” and the ACA must convince Malaysians that it has the power not just to arrest “small fries” involving bribes in thousands but also those “big sharks” with corruption cases run into tens of millions of ringgit.   The ACA must act fast and complete its investigation as soon as possible and charge the Assemblyman in court. If Datuk Kamarudin still has any self respect as a politician, he must resign immediately as the State Assemblyman for Palong.   The Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Isa Samad who is also the State Barisan Nasional Chairman must bear some responsibility for his choice of Kamarudin being a candidate in the last general election although he was suspended as an UMNO member in 1996 for his involvement in money politics.   The Menteri Besar must realise that the arrest of Kamarudin has shaken the integrity of the entire state government and public confidence to the institution of the State Legislative Assembly. To maintain public confidence to his leadership as the Head of the Negeri Sembilan state government, I challenge Tan Sri Isa Samad to publicly declare all his assets since his appointment as the Menteri Besar from 1982 until now before the next general election.   As the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly has been tainted by the two bad episodes, I propose that after the next general election, all elected State Assemblyman in Negeri Sembilan whether from ruling parties or opposition must be made compulsory to declare their assets before they are sworn-in to open a new chapter of highest integrity of public office-bearers and let the Negeri Sembilan state government to lead the nation in promoting a corrupt-free government.   The arrest of Kamarudin must act as a catalyst to the people of Negeri Sembilan to ensure the return of the DAP in the State Assembly in the coming general election to provide a strong check and balance to the BN government. (29/1/2004) * Loke Siew Fook, DAP Negeri Sembilan State Secretary