Will the Prime Minister Ismail Sabri rein in a rampaging MACC conducting spurious and politically calculated investigations which allows the corrupt to escape unpunished whilst punishing the honest and upright? The MACC has been notorious for their acts of omission and commission which have allowed government agencies and political leaders, including Ministers, to escape unpunished whilst focusing on those who refuse to either toe the government’s line or betray the people’s mandate by defecting to support the government.
These mass defections by MPs and ADUNs that have been allowed to proceed unhindered have led to public opprobrium against all politicians and generated a groundswell of public support for an Anti-Hopping Law to outlaw elected representatives jumping from one party to another for positions of profit or public funding. Even when MACC files clear cut cases of corruption in court, such charges can be withdrawn that appears to legitimatie corruption.
This follows a recent MACC’s decision to drop and not to proceed with 146 charges of money laundering amounting to RM32.93 million against a former Sabah water department deputy director in exchange for paying a compound of RM30 million. One wonders the logic, accountability and public morality or ethics of a money laundering case for nearly RM33 million being settled with RM30 million. Should not MACC be also questioning the ability to afford to pay the RM30 million compound by a former civil servant?
The latest MACC investigation into a Court of Appeal Judge for allegedly unproven unexplained wealth amounting to RM1 million claimed by a confirmed inveterate liar in Raja Petra Kamaruddin(RPK), contrasts starkly with MACC’s lack of enthusiasm and energy in investigating MACC chief Azam Baki confirmed unexplained wealth. The fact that this is the same judge that convicted former Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and no prompt action was taken by MACC against RPK to check on the veracity of these allegations, including flying to London to interrogate RPK where he is now hiding, gives rise to much concern of unwanted interference by the MACC and certain vested interests.
Why Is Muhyiddin Yassin Still Silent?
There is a clear double-standards, selective bias, unprofessionalism and even abuse of power when Azam can launch an immediate probe of Nazlan’s allegedly unproven unexplained wealth whilst not doing the same thing on Azam’s confirmed unexplained wealth involving millions of shares valued at millions of ringgit. Azam had been exposed by the Securities Commission as lying that his brother had used his shares account by proxy when Azam was exposed as the sole operator.
Justice has not been upheld in these cases above. No government leaders have spoken out against the double-standards applied by MACC, especially former Prime Minister Muhyddin Yassin who claims to be the guardian against kleptocrats returning to power. Why is Muhyiddin still silent?
Has MACC become a political weapon used or misused by vested political interests? MACC’s disappointing lack of consistency and commitment in combating corruption will only contribute to a further drop in the 2022 Malaysia’s Transparency International Corruption Perception Index which in 2021 declined to No. 62 from No. 51 in 2019.