PKR president Anwar Ibrahim was naturally upset at the defection of three of his MPs to the Perikatan Nasional, providing temporary relief to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin after his government lost its parliamentary majority. He told me that MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki had agreed to meet him on the issue of alleged enticement coupled with threats involving at least five PKR MPs in exchange for their support to Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Anwar had publicly revealed that four other PKR lawmakers, aside from Sekijang MP Natrah Ismail, revealed they were approached with an offer to switch sides. They are PKR MPs from Padang Serai, Sungai Siput, Putatan and Miri who were either threatened or offered various enticements for their support.
Anwar said that, “This is not politics. This is an abuse of power through exercising pressure. MACC is being used as a political weapon. If you jump, the probe will be postponed. Otherwise, you will be targeted.”
These are Anwar’s public statements. In private, he was more frank at the types of inducements and threats at play involving his defecting MPs. What surprised me was when he divulged that I was part of the conversation involving two of his defecting MPs.
“I am not strong like Guan Eng”.
This was uttered when Anwar had implored them to stand firm despite their immediate members of the family and themselves being subject to all sorts of intense pressure. I am saddened that I am now used as an example of what can happen if one does not submit.
The corruption charges filed against me and my wife is unprecedented in that not a single cent of gratification sum was found in my possession as cash on in my or my wife’s bank account. There was no audio recording of me ever asking for any money for my personal benefit.
MACC was so desperate that they even used wife’s earnings as a lawyer over two years as corruption money. My wife had declared and paid income tax for her legal earnings over two years. Corruption monies are hidden and never declared to the authorities for tax purposes because it is illegal.
I am strong not because I am Guan Eng, I am strong because my wife gave me the strength to do so.
It was not easy to be subjected to endless interrogation by MACC, when they were just repetitive of the previous investigations many years ago and clearly politically motivated. Even though there was no case in the first investigation, MACC basically did a “copy and paste” job from the first investigation on the present corruption charges against us.
I admit the damage is even greater on my wife whose legal profession was severely curtailed. She suffered at the gross injustice of it all. I felt helpless that I failed as a husband to protect her against the trump-up charges against her. Many witnessed the emotional trauma my wife had to endure and I am grateful for her strength and love for me, and doing the right thing to stand up together with me against such selective prosecution by the government.
No loving husband would want their wife to go through what she went through. But to say “I am not strong like Guan Eng’ because you do not want your wife to suffer like my wife or perversely, that you are not strong like me in willing to put my wife through such a harrowing experience. This is wrong.
I am strong not because I am Guan Eng, I am strong because my wife gave me the strength to do so.
Clearly if my wife and I can be framed up for such baseless charges, then no one in Malaysia is safe. As long as you do not the bidding of their political masters, then as Anwar said, “MACC can be used as a political weapon against you”.
No doubt there is disgust and despair amongst Malaysians at such dirty and dishonest politics. In the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index(CPI) Report, Malaysia dropped 6 rungs to 57th position, compared to No. 62 in 2017, 61 in 2018 and 51 in 2019.
MACC appears indifferent to Malaysia’s poor performance in the CPI ranking last year. Unless urgent action is taken, then Malaysia CPI rankings will decline further this year. There is a need to clean up not only the politics of inducement and threats but also government agencies to rid them of political interference.
There is no room for politics of treachery or vengeance, especially against innocent family members. Only then can we instil public confidence in accountability and transparency that there is political will and commitment to combat corruption without fear or favour.