Going after those who try to expose wrongdoings will dampen public confidence in MACC, says social activist
Phang said going after whistleblowers may discourage the public from exposing wrongdoings.
“This will only lead down one path: more corruption. Suing someone who has exposed some wrongdoing is not the right way to go about it.
“MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki should not have filed a defamation suit against anti-graft activist Lalitha Kunaratnam.
“Instead he should have come out immediately to explain what had occurred,” Phang told theSun.
He wondered how the public could place their faith in the anti-graft body when its head failed to satisfactorily explain the share transaction (issue) but filed a legal suit instead.
Phang said we need to have our faith in MACC restored and the only way to do so is for Azam to go on garden leave while an independent body conducts an investigation into the issue.
He said we also need to go further by placing MACC under the purview of Parliament to allow proper scrutiny of its actions.
Phang, who was a former adviser to the MACC corruption prevention panel, said the fight against corruption is an on-going effort and we cannot have people in charge of MACC suing whistleblowers.
He pointed out that the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 gives protection to those who expose wrongdoings. “What is the use of the Act if the MACC head can file a defamation suit against a whistleblower?” he asked.
He also questioned the need for senior MACC officers – deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya, deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Norazlan Mohd Razali and deputy chief commissioner (management and professionalism) Datuk Junipah Wandi – to express their support for Azam.
He said instead of going out to fight graft, these officers seem to have a lot of time on hand to do other things.
“We desperately need a change of mindset in the government; action must be taken against officers such as (asking them to) go on garden leave until it can be proven they are innocent.
“If the government continues to turn a blind eye, the public will lose confidence not only in the government but also MACC,” he said.
Azam, who is mired in a proxy stock trading issue, had explained that his share trading account had been used by his younger brother Nasir Baki to purchase shares in 2015.
The explanation was made after it was reported that Azam had significant shareholdings in several companies.
He denied any wrongdoing and said the stocks purchased had subsequently been transferred to Nasir’s account.
Source: https://ipaper.thesundaily.my/epaper/viewer.aspx?publication=The%20Sun%20Daily#page/2
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