MACC sending wrong signals on thorny issues
by R Nadeswaran
The MACC appears to be the last bastion of hope for aggrieved Malaysians. From voter fraud, potholes on the road to outright cheating and bogus cheap sales, everyone seems to be lodging a report with the commission.
While pained citizens ought to first go to the police or other enforcement agencies, the MACC is perceived – rightly or wrongly – as the one-stop centre to cure all the ills that afflict our country.
Because of its status, everyone wants to rush to make reports, even if there is no element of corruption or abuse of power. The slightest indiscretion by a civil servant or politician and immediately there’s a delegation outside the MACC office.
While some do it for the five minutes of fame before TV cameras and press photographers, others make their complaints discreetly, so that the evidence is not tampered with or the perpetrators alerted so that they can cover their tracks.
After the 1MDB fiasco in 2016, when the MACC through the attorney-general announced that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, public confidence in the system took a dive to an all-time abysmal low.
This was compounded when three officers, then chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed (above) and his two deputies, Shukri Abdull and Mustafar Ali, were hounded out of office. Their replacements were hardly inspiring with the new chief making the headlines for all the wrong reasons -- embroiled in an alleged personal illicit affair.
Besides, the telephone recordings released by the former MACC chief Latheefa Abdul Koya in January showed the nexus between him and the various parties involved in the 1MDB debacle. The records are now in the public domain to be examined and scrutinised.
Having been a member of MACC’s advisory panel on prevention, together with fellow editors Johan Jaafar and Husamuddin Yaacob, we were privy to some of its workings. On more than one occasion, we stood up and spoke our minds on the excesses of the executive and proudly supported the commission and its officers on various accusations.
I can’t speak for them but I can no longer express the same sentiments when such accusations are now made. When the issue of "illegal Musang King" farmers came to the fore about a month ago, all eyes were on what was going on.
But last week, the whole issue took a different perspective when about 50 farmers (below) were summoned by the MACC to have their statements recorded. The immediate reaction to reports of this news was extraordinary. The current MACC chief Azam Baki’s reactions were telling indeed.
Media reports quoted him as saying that the MACC had not summoned durian farmers in Raub who are accused of running illegal farms as alleged.
“That is incorrect. I do not know who is making such stories up,” Azam was quoted as saying. But even before the ink dried on the newsprint, farmers were lining up outside the MACC office (in Raub) to have their statements recorded.
The New Straits Times reported: “Confusion was written on the faces of durian farmers as they arrived in batches for questioning, believed over widespread land encroachment activities in the area. The confusion was partly due to Azam Baki's recent statement that no durian farmer had been summoned by the graft-buster to provide their statements on the issue.”
Now, now, please do tell me something is not amiss in this whole episode. The chief does not know what is going on in his own backyard? Who gave the okay for investigation papers to be opened?
Does the MACC care about public perception? Do their actions instil any confidence in the public? How do they expect cooperation from fellow Malaysians with such statements?
Waiting for five years
To aggravate its already plummeting reputation is the sordid affair involving the purchase of property by Mara Inc in Melbourne. It has been five years since the issue made headlines in Malaysia and Australia. It has been five years since MACC officials visited my office where I explained the whole course of events and handed over voluminous documents which supported the expose.
After the Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged one of the directors of the company for fraud in Melbourne, on Sept 4, I wrote: “Right-thinking Malaysians will certainly demand an explanation from the MACC over the inordinate delay. The commission has also been handed a copy of the 2019 Ernest and Young report which traces all the transactions.
“The report with flow charts and appendices identifies the personalities and identifies several instances of conflict of interest and other supposed misfeasance.
“If investigations had 'almost been completed in 2017', can the MACC tell us why the unwarranted delay instead of saying 'we are still investigating'?”
On Tuesday, after a 10-day hiatus, Azam Baki answered the question. Bernama quoted him as saying that the commission had discussed the matter with the deputy public prosecutor to see if charges could be filed against certain individuals under the law, based on the evidence to be obtained from the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
"If the law allows us to prosecute them, then we will prosecute certain individuals for Mara's case.”
Azam said the MACC's investigation into the case had been completed at the domestic level, and the commission had responded to questions over the matter in Parliament several times.
In April 2017, Azam Baki (who was then MACC deputy chief commissioner, operations) said 24 witnesses had been called in to assist with investigations over the alleged acquisition of the property. He also said the commission had inspected seven premises, including a law firm, an appraiser's office and the Mara Inc office.
“All related documentation regarding the purchase of the property in Australia have also been seized. We have gathered more new information and it is a continuous investigation from the previous case in 2015,” Azam was then quoted as saying.
So what’s this “based on the evidence to be obtained from the AFP”? Wasn’t such evidence already made available to MACC? Are we being asked to believe that the evidence was only sought after one man was charged in Melbourne?
You can’t pin the blame on AFP for documents because there had been an ongoing exchange of information - and I know for a fact that the false invoices and documents related to the transfer of monies, etc, are already with the MACC.
It is said that it is futile to whip a dead horse, but can the MACC tell us something that is plausible, instead of finding excuses for their own follies and shortcomings?
R NADESWARAN believes the MACC is dragging its feet on the Mara scandal for reasons better known to its chief and his officers. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com
While pained citizens ought to first go to the police or other enforcement agencies, the MACC is perceived – rightly or wrongly – as the one-stop centre to cure all the ills that afflict our country.
Because of its status, everyone wants to rush to make reports, even if there is no element of corruption or abuse of power. The slightest indiscretion by a civil servant or politician and immediately there’s a delegation outside the MACC office.
While some do it for the five minutes of fame before TV cameras and press photographers, others make their complaints discreetly, so that the evidence is not tampered with or the perpetrators alerted so that they can cover their tracks.
After the 1MDB fiasco in 2016, when the MACC through the attorney-general announced that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, public confidence in the system took a dive to an all-time abysmal low.
This was compounded when three officers, then chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed (above) and his two deputies, Shukri Abdull and Mustafar Ali, were hounded out of office. Their replacements were hardly inspiring with the new chief making the headlines for all the wrong reasons -- embroiled in an alleged personal illicit affair.
Besides, the telephone recordings released by the former MACC chief Latheefa Abdul Koya in January showed the nexus between him and the various parties involved in the 1MDB debacle. The records are now in the public domain to be examined and scrutinised.
Having been a member of MACC’s advisory panel on prevention, together with fellow editors Johan Jaafar and Husamuddin Yaacob, we were privy to some of its workings. On more than one occasion, we stood up and spoke our minds on the excesses of the executive and proudly supported the commission and its officers on various accusations.
I can’t speak for them but I can no longer express the same sentiments when such accusations are now made. When the issue of "illegal Musang King" farmers came to the fore about a month ago, all eyes were on what was going on.
But last week, the whole issue took a different perspective when about 50 farmers (below) were summoned by the MACC to have their statements recorded. The immediate reaction to reports of this news was extraordinary. The current MACC chief Azam Baki’s reactions were telling indeed.
Media reports quoted him as saying that the MACC had not summoned durian farmers in Raub who are accused of running illegal farms as alleged.
“That is incorrect. I do not know who is making such stories up,” Azam was quoted as saying. But even before the ink dried on the newsprint, farmers were lining up outside the MACC office (in Raub) to have their statements recorded.
The New Straits Times reported: “Confusion was written on the faces of durian farmers as they arrived in batches for questioning, believed over widespread land encroachment activities in the area. The confusion was partly due to Azam Baki's recent statement that no durian farmer had been summoned by the graft-buster to provide their statements on the issue.”
Now, now, please do tell me something is not amiss in this whole episode. The chief does not know what is going on in his own backyard? Who gave the okay for investigation papers to be opened?
Does the MACC care about public perception? Do their actions instil any confidence in the public? How do they expect cooperation from fellow Malaysians with such statements?
Waiting for five years
To aggravate its already plummeting reputation is the sordid affair involving the purchase of property by Mara Inc in Melbourne. It has been five years since the issue made headlines in Malaysia and Australia. It has been five years since MACC officials visited my office where I explained the whole course of events and handed over voluminous documents which supported the expose.
After the Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged one of the directors of the company for fraud in Melbourne, on Sept 4, I wrote: “Right-thinking Malaysians will certainly demand an explanation from the MACC over the inordinate delay. The commission has also been handed a copy of the 2019 Ernest and Young report which traces all the transactions.
“The report with flow charts and appendices identifies the personalities and identifies several instances of conflict of interest and other supposed misfeasance.
“If investigations had 'almost been completed in 2017', can the MACC tell us why the unwarranted delay instead of saying 'we are still investigating'?”
On Tuesday, after a 10-day hiatus, Azam Baki answered the question. Bernama quoted him as saying that the commission had discussed the matter with the deputy public prosecutor to see if charges could be filed against certain individuals under the law, based on the evidence to be obtained from the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
"If the law allows us to prosecute them, then we will prosecute certain individuals for Mara's case.”
Azam said the MACC's investigation into the case had been completed at the domestic level, and the commission had responded to questions over the matter in Parliament several times.
In April 2017, Azam Baki (who was then MACC deputy chief commissioner, operations) said 24 witnesses had been called in to assist with investigations over the alleged acquisition of the property. He also said the commission had inspected seven premises, including a law firm, an appraiser's office and the Mara Inc office.
“All related documentation regarding the purchase of the property in Australia have also been seized. We have gathered more new information and it is a continuous investigation from the previous case in 2015,” Azam was then quoted as saying.
So what’s this “based on the evidence to be obtained from the AFP”? Wasn’t such evidence already made available to MACC? Are we being asked to believe that the evidence was only sought after one man was charged in Melbourne?
You can’t pin the blame on AFP for documents because there had been an ongoing exchange of information - and I know for a fact that the false invoices and documents related to the transfer of monies, etc, are already with the MACC.
It is said that it is futile to whip a dead horse, but can the MACC tell us something that is plausible, instead of finding excuses for their own follies and shortcomings?
R NADESWARAN believes the MACC is dragging its feet on the Mara scandal for reasons better known to its chief and his officers. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com
KT is confused, must be reading too much Capt Thaya-Pandai's circular logic.....
ReplyDeleteKT now states that MACC cannot be trusted but KT always blame Lim Kit Siang and DAP for not getting justice for Teoh Beng Hock's family over his death at the MACC office. KT should be blaming MACC instead.
Nah...here is what KT blogged just two months ago....
http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2020/07/dap-let-down-family-of-teoh-beng-hock.html
QUOTE BY KT
In 2014 Kit Siang in his article, titled "Malaysians will not rest until justice is done for the killing of Teoh Beng Hock" wrote that DAP and Pakatan Rakyat would continue to highlight the injustice of Teoh Beng Hock’s unresolved murder
What utter bullshit from him!
Just a year later, in 2015, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang shook hands with Rohaizad Yaakob, a top Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) official to show the opposition’s solidarity with the MACC (at whose building Teoh BH "died" mysteriously)
UNQUOTE
Here is that infamous photo of MACC boss shaking hands with LKS that KT likes to put up....ha ha ha..
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2015/08/06/once-enemies-now-dap-and-macc-join-hands-in-1mdb-controversy/946963
MACC cannot be trusted and thus LKS did us and TBH gross injustice in partnering up with that Organisation which he (and we) knows cannot be trusted, of course for his own political interests, a betrayal of justice for TBH
DeleteKT does not trust MACC (Latheefa etc), Police (IGP), the PMs (Toonsie, Muhyiddin), everyone in DAP, the AG (Tommy Thomas), so which authority should LKS partner with.....?
DeleteOnly complain complain complain.....please offer a solution to help TBH's family. Anyone in authority that can be trusted?
why should LKS pally buddy with an organisation he condemned JUST 1 year before for being responsible for TBH's death? Shows his inconsistency, hypocrisy and opportunism
Deletewhere was it that says I don't trust "everyone in DAP"? I trust Ronnie Liu, Ramkarpal, Sangeeta, Dr Boo etc etc
So KT's solution is for LKS to partner/pally/buddy with Ramkarpal, Sangeetha and Dr Boo....will that get justice for TBH......ha ha ha....nice....
Deletedid I say that? Stop your BS.
DeleteWell,well,well...will R Nadeswaran be called in by the MACC now "to assist in investigations?"
ReplyDeletedon't be silly kt, of course we can trust the macc, we have to, according to muafakat national which is made up of pas and umno and now also part of the pn government, it is better to have a corrupt muslim leader than a non corrupt kafir and the macc chief happens to be a muslim, so get use to it
ReplyDeleteWhen in CCP-Land, don't spook the CCP.
ReplyDeleteWhen in Melayu-land, don't spook the Melayu.
It sounds reprehensible by the standards of a liberal democracy, but make sure you remember that you are not in London or Canberra.
Wakakakakaka… liberal demoNcracy!
DeleteHow long have u been loitering longingly in London/Canberra to leak this fart?
Been to some of those 'controversial' locations yet in yr claimed Mecca?
Obviously not!
All u have is what u have been dreaming in that fart filled well, enhanced by that foul gaseous that has amplified that lost of banana congenital insensitivity!
Haha Haha...'loitering longingly in London/Canberra'...that's a nice one, CK !
DeleteTrust WhiteCock-Sucker to endlessly bleating about non existent democracy of the liberal kind or otherwise, hehe
If these WhiteySupremists in London or Canberra or Washington are upholders of democracy, then UMNO and PAS, and even PN are the paragon of human rights and democratic principles.
Pigi la...hisap lagi banyak whitecocks, wa ka ka ka
ya lor, y ccp n melayu govt share almost the same kharacteristics ah? almightys work?
DeleteR CCP share anything similar with yr beloved melayu govt?
DeleteHow about within 40 yrs 800M have been uplifted from dirt poor status in China vis-a-vis within that same period yr dangdut pals r still crying father mother about have not achieving that f*cked neo dream despite the facts that bolihland has more material resources than CCP China.
Where have all the mollah gone?
Minute portion into yr don't-spook-the-melayu-sensitivities fund!
600m earn less than 1000 rmb a month, worst tha melayu that tanam jagung kat kampung.
DeleteFor u, statistic is still statistic of the bloody kind!
DeleteWhat more to say to yr dangdut pals. They won't & can't understand anything with numbers. It's in their nature.
U obviously know fart about how much those tsnam having Kat kampung earned. They r transparent to u. As all our associated melayu r those that can waste on jack Daniel w/o a blink of the eyes. Those bills r paid via entitlement f*cks that u so blazingly supported!
For u, u r just a f*cked numerical acrobat of the worst kind. All u know is those that print on the green back. The plastics type bolihland used r just put transitional road chip!
irregardless how much the tanam jagung earn or not earn, msia gdp per capita is much higher than ccp china, not many msian earn less than rmb1k per month, not only melayu govt, most asian nation easily outperform ccp in gdp per capita since ww2, ccp shd packed n do a long march again back to russia, jgn malukan china dan chinese.
Delete犬养mfer
Delete1) ever heard of purchasing power parity?
2) ever heard of health&medicare covering 95% of the populace?
3) ever heard of every citizen above 60 gets a pension of RMB1000 per month?
4) how about 97% of Chinese live on their own house, especially in rural?
5) on what basis when li keqian made that statement? RURAL!
So u want to twist a statistical data to vent yr fart?
"msia gdp per capita is much higher than ccp china"
Right, in pure statistical term w/o any other beneficiaries consideration.
But to say
"not many msian earn less than rmb1k per month"
is just lousy numeric acrobat attempted by hp6 mfer.
Quoting RMB rather than RM! No mentioning of purchasing power parity!
Moreover, obviously u have missed the B40 & orang Asal.
Survey findings showed that income threshold for the B40 group was RM1,038 monthly with average household size of 3.9 persons.(www.dosm.gov.my ›
Household Income & Basic Amenities Survey Report 2019).
B40 — a huge 12.8 million within the length and breadth of Malaysia of 32 million. 40.6%!
RM266.15 per person for 40.6% of the population!
How's that comparing with the Chinese 600M with RMB1000?
Moreover, the poverty data in M'sia has been under criticism for been inaccurate! A U.N. human rights expert has disputed Malaysia's official figures ad vastly inaccurate and do not reflect realities on the ground.
Li keqian has been truthful about the figure using statistical terms. But in terms of uplifting living standard from the lowest level to current rural averaging that's an achievement in size & efforts NO other countries in the world have managed in history!
No apologies needed, as there r still works to be done. & it would only be better despite all the opposite obstacles & challenges!
Eat yr heart out 犬养mfer!
Ooop… don't forget to do some decent GDP investigation about yr favourite katak island. With the possible ending of ECFA, more katak would jump ship. Not to their usual holy land of milk & honey. But to mainland China!
Only then, u shout to them about "jgn malukan china dan chinese."
Maybe I should change 3BlindMice Club to NoBrainMice Club ? hehehe
DeleteNo.
DeleteAt least a mouse with no brain would just take what it wants w/o resolve to fabricating fake news of f*cked evidences!
Maybe the hermaphrodite type! Then it can 'play' with itself.
1.usa beef 1 kilo usd5, ccp china 1 kilo beef rmb50, so tell me how yr ppp help.
Delete2.msia 100% free or rm1.
3.msia govt servant pension sampai mati
4.http://view.163.com/special/reviews/homeownership1226.html
5.rural basis is still a basis, unless rural people can eat grass to replace rice n meat.
dun blow la, alibaba tencent n the many middle class that survive on foreign investment is not the majority. learn humble a bit n trump might not force tis idiotic big head cb no brain mainlanders to a corner.
犬养mfer, u have just parading yr hp6 economic data selectivity!
DeleteBut do u know it?
Wakakakakaka…
1) US meat prices r indeed dirt cheap. Besides large scale industrial animal husbandry, the factory farm lobby has secured huge handouts that artificially suppress meat prices.
Capitalism with socialist characteristics?
Or just sectorial powerful lobbying in scamming govt kitty!
PPP covers all essential sectors.
Mfer, how much is the medical bill for a simple flu shot in US vis-a-vis China?
2) "msia 100% free or rm1."
!!!! So what's the standard?
Maybe panadol is that cure all silver bullet handed out by that infamous klinik 1 malaysia.
Hope u use it frequently.
3) Chinese civil servants r also pension for life!
So too those above 60, silver hair group.
M'sia?
Mana yr famous apple to apple comparison?
4) hp6 Mandarin comprehension in the class of yr 南魔萬England!
House occupancy vis-a-vis house ownership.
Ooop… do u know that the author 王蕾 is a 恨国公知 of the f*cked kind. Don't just quote his shit lah. How about checking out many of the rebuttals on the same subject?
5) yr Formosa trained sick mind is showing! Do repeat that taiwanese 流水economist's fart about the mainlander is too poor to eat zhacai! Tea boiled eggs too.
Who's boastful with selectivities?
Nobody is asking the foreign investments to invest into alibaba & tencent. They do so bcoz they see mollah all over these Chinese companies!
BTW, u r dead right that trump has been cornered by his own silliness. & yet yellowed dickhead katak, like u, is cheering him on!
It's better that u shout about "jgn malukan china dan chinese" to yr 台毒 kataks when ECFA is been terminated.
Show them what u know about honour in not faking misinformation lah.
Or u have a different definition for honor?
1. stop tokkok, show me contoh how ppp allow mainlander buy cheaper beef, pork etc.
ReplyDelete2.msia rank 1 in global.
3.its a retiremt fund for those that contribute, many private enterprise contribute less or zero, u heard of epf?
4.everyone know ccp manipulate number, eg homeowner include son daughter work in city that yet buying any house, many room within same house that transfer to individual title under a socialist system is deemed home ownership. room ownership i agree ccp china world no 1.
5.my question is what can one buy with rmb 1k even if one is from rural, unless grass can fill one stomach. so how rural become a justification?
honor is eat rice n peace, not be a bully to go fight the other bully.
Wakakakakaka…
DeleteREPEAT: 犬养mfer, u have just parading yr hp6 economic data selectivity!
1) ppp allow mainlander buy cheaper beef, pork etc!
Walau-eh, ppp used to just buy cheap beef, pork!
R u part of the 廋肉精 meat consignment mafia?
How about other costs of living?
2) "msia rank 1 in global"
Yaloh - in rent-seeking & domesticating genuflecting doggie trades
3) social contributions can be in kind or money!
Is retirement fund earned via gajibuta a social contribution or just pure entitlement claim of spurious nature?
But how do u know!
Mfer, there r B40 who have zilch &/or minimum epf saving that can't last more than 5yrs after retirement.
Why don't u mentioned about pnb amanah saham scheme that built on Nons' seed money? Even that scheme is just a glorified fat cat ponzi pyramic scheme.
4) "everyone know!" Based on just yr words? Based on yr masters' propagandas?
How about everyone in this blog know u r a fake news propagator, using hp6 data/twisted facts!
5) rmb 1k in rural Chinese can be stretched longer than yr lying tongue.
Own house, own/cooped land for cultivations, 农家乐 helped by 金山银山 sceneries, full coverage of 4G broadband, easy access with good roads & parcel delivery system.
Justified?
More than u can get, when u r 10miles outside the radius of a 2nd tier city/town in US, Europe or Oz w/o mobile signals!
Is that yr understanding of "honor is eat rice n peace"?
No wonder u r so dying hard to promote don't-spook-the-melayu-sensitivities fart.
士可杀不可辱!
Did yr Formosa dickheaded teacher teach u that? Or u inherited wholeheartedly his/her doggie genuflection to demoNcracy?
1.ppp is the 1.4 cheap labour, go study economy.
ReplyDelete2.go baidu if u dun know google.
3.apple go apple, just diff name, dun blow as if only ccp can do.
4.we learn this fact of manipulation from wuhan virus, almost everybody except ccp zombie, my mistake.
5.rmb1k can buy 20kilo beef, thats all. actually is 20jin, since this is measurements with chinese kharacteristic, i lazy to find out the actual std weight, ie much less than kilo.
Wakakakakaka…
DeleteShowing yr true color ni!
Well, sleep on it.
Just a reminder, my rebuttals to yr farts ain't for yr consumption. Don't u forget that.
If u insist on parading yr hp6 monkey shows, by all being, continue.
By now, those subjects u r trying to regurgitate have past their shelf life date. Even the smell is gone!
Go play with itself lah, hermaphroditic katak until next time u can think of something new & difference.