MACC must prove itself to rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must do more to convince the public that it is serious about fighting graft, a member of its advisory panel, Robert Phang, said today.

He said public scepticism abounds over the prosecution of former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Khir Toyo on a lesser crime under the Penal Code and not for the more severe offence under the MACC Act.


Although Phang lauded the resolve by the MACC chief commissioner, Abu Kassim Mohamed, to act without fear or favour in the prosecution of former federal minister Dr Ling Liong Sik in the PKFZ scandal, he reminded the commission that there were other names also mentioned in the PKFZ audit report.In a statement issued here today, Phang, who is also chairman of Social Care Foundation, said he was delighted to know that the MACC will investigate the MAS scandal involving its former chairman Tajuddin Ramli.

“The MACC must be applauded for that. It is also commendable that the chairman of MACC’s operation evaluation panel, Hadenan Abdul Jalil, has come out to dispel any public notion that MACC is reluctant to act on this case."This will allay public fears and scepticism that the MACC practises selective investigation or that the MACC is afraid to act against the big fish,” he said.

No personal agenda

Phang also called on the Attorney-General, Gani Patail, to clear his name over his alleged links with Shahidan Shafie, the proxy of Tajuddin during a recent haj pilgrimage.“The photographs and documents that have been in the public domain seem very convincing. The A-G’s silence is fuelling suspicion. The A-G must answer or the government of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will suffer.

"There will be all kinds of speculations especially with the recent WikiLeaks revelations of confidential intelligence documents."I call on the MACC to also investigate the truth of these public disclosures. Act, lest this is interpreted by the public as arrogance,” he said.Phang stressed that he was raising these matters for the good of the nation and did not have a personal agenda.

“I am not a politician. It is only people with unclean hearts and minds that will suspect my motive for speaking up for what I believe to be true and right. I am not unaware that I have been attacked and criticised for raising these matters.“I am a senior citizen. I love my country. I have been entrusted to be an adviser in the MACC by former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," he said.

Phang added that neither he nor the other independent panel members would act as rubber-stamps.
"I must do justice to the appointment endorsed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. I cannot just be a rubber-stamp. Indeed none of the independent members of the various panels of the MACC are rubber-stamps.
"When a matter has been in the public domain for quite a while and no action appears to be taken, then it is incumbent that we must remind the powers that be of the public displeasure. To keep mum is to be of disservice to the nation, the government, the public.

“I believe that was the reason behind why Najib reminded the 13 BN component parties of the four 'political diseases' – delusion, amnesia, inertia and arrogance,” he said.

Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/14490-macc-must-prove-itself-to-rakyat