We're a 'clean' nation

“In one fell-swoop”

Wow, those were the very words used by malaysiakini when it described how our nation's No 1 legal officer, dear Attorney-General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail, cleared both former ACA chief Zulkifli Mat Noor and IGP Musa Hassan of corruption.

The phrase ‘one fell swoop’ was first recorded by Shakespeare in Macbeth (Act 4): when Macduff received news that his entire family was murdered, and cried out in sheer disbelief:

All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop?

BTW, the word 'fell', originated from Old French 'fel', which means 'cruel; barbarous; fierce [etc]' as in the example 'While we devise fell tortures for thy faults ...'.

The word 'felon' (person guilty of a serious crime) is also derived from it.

So, 'one fell swoop' would mean 'one fierce, sudden onslaught'!

And so it was to us, in one ... er ... fell swoop, or if we take the Shakespearean meaning as we learnt today, 'one fierce, sudden onslaught' the AG put the question of corruption hanging over the heads of the former ACA boss and the current IGP to rest – both are now officially as clean as a whistle, as to be expected of our exemplary officers.

The AG went yadda yadda on his reason for clearing both government officers - conclusion: there's no case for them to answer.

The allegation against the No 1 policeman in the nation was in fact initiated by Deputy Internal Security Minister Johari Baharum who himself was also investigated by the ACA for corruption earlier but has since been cleared by the AG.

It's clear that we are a ‘clean’ nation if not anything. I always feel like that after walking out of a good turkish-bath – very ‘clean’ I mean. In fact, my best pal when I was working in a place in KL - let's call him Aneh - used to declare to me each time we exited the bath "kaytee, we may not be the cleverest, richest, handsomest blokes in the world, but right now we are certainly the cleanest!" - and an Amen to his wisdom on superlatives.

However, spoilsport strait-laced straightforward Lim Guan Eng, the DAP secretary-general, asked Abdul Gani Patail to make public the investigation papers into both Zulkifli and Musa Hassan to prove that a thorough probe was conducted in accordance with the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability. Hmmm!?

Meanwhile, the Star Online reported that PM AAB wants a stop to comments on these two corruption cases.

Apart from expressing relief that the two had been cleared of allegations of corruption and criminal misconduct or abuse of power, he wants the matter laid to rest as there was no evidence to implicate them.

In fact he commented that it’s now apparent the reports made against them were bullsh*t – OK, he didn’t exactly use the ‘bull’ word but I thought it would endow the admonishment with more spice ;-)

However, not that I would dare go against the PM’s advice, I must attempt to clear one thing that confuses me.

You see, yesterday, Gani ordered ACA to close the probe into the allegations that IGP Musa Hassan took RM2 million in bribe to release three criminal suspects held under the Emergency Ordinance. Originally Johari Baharum was the one accused of releasing those criminals for RM5 million.

Don't worry about the release of the three criminal suspects, but can the AG order the ACA to stop an investigation? I thought the ACA reports directly to the PM?

No doubt Gani is the nation’s No 1 law officer, but protocol wise, can he order the ACA around. Who is really in charge of the ACA? This is the confusing question that a layperson like me likes to know.

And would stopping an investigation imply that there was an ongoing investigation at the time Gani gave the 'cease and desist' order? If so, my question is, why stop it?

Hah, the answer to my question was provided by a malaysiakini report which said that Gani averred the investigation via witnesses and relevant documents have nothing to link Musa to the allegation.

If that has been the case it is only logical a curious citizen would want to ask, why then was the investigation still going on (if my goblok query has any purchase), before Gani gave the instruction to the ACA to stop the investigations?

Again a poor confused citizen asks: what is the reporting setup of the ACA, and may the AG order the ACA to stop an investigation?