PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli,
well-known for his recent exposés in the RM250 million National Feedlot
Corporation (NFC) "cows and condos" scandal, was arrested and charged
yesterday over alleged violations of the Banking and Financial
Institutions Act (BAFIA) in exposing banking details relating to the NFC
scandal.
It is a fact that Rafizi's exposés had
led to the indictment of Mohamad Salleh, NFC Chairman and husband of
former Cabinet Minister and Wanita UMNO Chief Shahrizat Jalil, on two
counts of criminal breach of trust and two counts under the Companies
Act 1965 involving the purchase of luxury condominiums.
Mohamad Salleh's indictment has proven
that without Rafizi's exposé, no action would have been taken on this
scandal involving RM250 million of public funds. If Mohamad Salleh was
not charged, then it is an entirely different story, but the fact that
he now faces criminal charges proves that Rafizi had done the right
thing by whistleblowing on this issue.
In other words, since there was a
prosecution following Rafizi Ramli’s exposés of the NFC scandal, does it
not justify his role in performing a public service as a whistleblower,
and if so, should he not then be rewarded rather than punished for his
actions?
Rafizi’s arrest brings back memories of
my own case nearly twenty years ago when I was sent to prison for
defending an underaged rape victim. Isn’t it ridiculous that none of the
alleged rapists spent a single day in prison while the victim was
detained and I was imprisoned for highlighting this injustice?
Therefore, DAP calls on the
Attorney-General and the federal government to withdraw the charges
against Rafizi in order to restore public confidence in BN’s commitment
to protect whistleblowers and expose corruption as well as to promote
public integrity and leadership.
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