Malaysians have no faith in Paul Low's long-term solutions or paradigm shifts to fight corruption
Malaysians have no faith in Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low’s long-term solutions or paradigm shifts to fight corruption when he refuses to fully commit to implement institutional changes such as setting up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) to prevent custodial deaths, implement public declaration of assets by government leaders and open competitive tenders.
Pau Low can not blame Malaysians for thinking that all his rhetoric about transparency and accountability are merely “cosmetic changes” when he has changed his tune from his position as Transparency International Malaysia Chairman calling for open competitive tenders and public declaration of assets by government Ministers. As long as Paul Low is willing to commit himself to the institutional changes mentioned, then the people are willing to give him not just 100 days but 100 weeks. Of course Paul Low has to resign if they are not fulfilled.
DAP fails to see what long-term solutions can be found by Paul Low or even whole paradigm shifts that can address the root causes of corruption without the institutional changes of setting up the IPCMC, implementing open competitive tenders and public declaration of assets. Instead Paul Low has turned apologist for BN and even rapidly adapted to BN’s culture of lies by justifying that personal safety of Ministers and their families as the reason why there can be no public declaration of assets.
Penang is a very good example of how such public asset declaration and open competitive tenders have not caused problems but brought about benefits since 2008, in terms of yearly state budget surpluses, reduction of the state government debt by 95% and increase in our asset reserves by 50% to RM1.2 billion.
Paul Low’s refusal to commit himself and set a time frame for these institutional changes has gravely eroded not just his but also indirectly Transparency International’s public credibility. There is no reason why Paul Low cannot press Cabinet to form the IPCMC immediately when even former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hasan said that he had not opposed the IPCMC when he was the IGP, provided that the police had a right to appeal to courts against the decisions made by IPCMC.
