Tainted politicians conferred
honourable titles or appointed state positions have compromised
efforts in fighting corruptions
Media Statement
by Ronnie
Liu Tian Khiew
(Kuala Lumpur, Friday):
The recent conferment of SSM which
carries the title of “Tun” to former MCA president and Transport Minister
Ling Liong Sik, and the appointment of former UNMO Secretary General and
Minister of Information Khalil Yaccob as the Governor of Melaka came as a
shock to me and many other Malaysians.
I have, in the past two years, made
various reports with the ACA and the police on alleged corruptions by
certain political leaders. And two of them were Ling and Khalil.
Ling has yet to clear his name of
several cases, including one on the Chang Min Thien Education Fund scandal.
I have made the police report with the commercial crime department at the
Petaling Jaya Police Headquarters before Ling stepped down from both his
party and Cabinet positions in 2003.
Khalil, on the other hand, has not
cleared his name on the alleged involvement with a timber scam when he was
the Mentri Besar of Pahang. I have made a report with the ACA headquarters
in Putrajaya some time in 2003.
It’s against the principles of justice
that politicians tainted with such records (unless and until their names
were cleared) should be given the highest title of the country or appointed
with such an honourable state position. These recent developments have
inevitably dealt a blow to the so-called war against graft launched by none
other than the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmab Badawi himself.
No amount of politically-correct
speeches and statements from his office would help to lend creditability to
his claims and “determination” to fight corruption. Even some special
interviews with CNN, CNBC or any other news channels of international fame
would not help to convince Malaysians.
At the rate is going, I can’t even
convince my sons that our beloved Prime Minister is actually serious about
improving our corruption index from the current 37th ranking out of 137
countries , lagging behind Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.
Ever wonder no one in his Cabinet now
wants to claim credits for the fairly “successful” Justice Bao advertisement
campaign ran during the last general election?
(7/6/2004)
* Ronnie Liu
Tian Khiew, DAP national publicity secretary
|
http://dapmalaysia.org