When it comes to dealing with corruption, the
Najib administration drags its feet, which reflects badly on all the
promises it made to clean up the country.
In
China, the punishment for corrupt officials is simple – their final
moments are in a stadium where they receive a bullet, paid for by their
families, at the back of the neck.
In Malaysia, the administration pussyfoots when it comes to dealing
with corruption. Cases which involve public servants, religious
officials and members of the ruling coalition become objects of our
derision.
Last March, imam Hoslan Hussein was jailed for one year for being
disrespectful to the judiciary. In a moment borne of frustration and
angst, he threw his shoes at three judges who refused to listen to his
testimony.
As cleric of the mosque, he had stumbled across alleged cases of
corruption and abuse of power involving mosque committee officials and
Umno. Several attempts to draw public attention to the corruption ended
with him being jailed instead.
His incarceration is not without reason. With the imam safely behind
bars, the issues he raised will be quietly forgotten, brushed under the
carpet, and those involved can cover up their tracks. Our attention is
diverted by a man’s apparent insolence.
When will the Muslim congregation realise that some of the mosque
committees need greater scrutiny? Of greater importance, is who will
undertake that task?
The allegations of mosques collaborating with the ruling coalition
are serious and warrant investigation. How many mosques are there in
Malaysia – 200, 2000 or 20,000?
If we multiply the amounts of money Hoslan alleges is being
squandered, then the final tally is several millions of ringgits. Mosque
donations are being used to line the pockets of a few officials.
Publicity stunt
Hoslan made several allegations about the mosque where he was the imam rawatib:
- Bank deposits differed from the amount of public donations to the mosque;
- Mosque officials overcharged for their services to the mosque;
- Goods that were supplied to the mosque were inferior to those that had been paid for;
- Documents had been destroyed to cover up the misdeeds; and
- Accounts were not audited.
The treatment of Hoslan differs from that meted out to former
Selangor menteri besar Dr Khir Toyo who was prosecuted for land fraud in
late 2010.
After a lengthy trial, which lasted a year, he was finally sentenced
to one year’s jail and his property confiscated. Following a request by
Khir’s lawyer, his punishment was postponed until his appeal is heard.
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak rubbished claims by the opposition
that the prosecution against Khir in 2010, was a mere publicity stunt to
convince the electorate that he was getting tough with errant public
servants.
Najib told The Star, “We are not using the prosecution as a gimmick.
How is it a sandiwara (sideshow) if he (Khir) has been charged?
“This is what happens when a corruption case is turned into a
political issue. They [the opposition] want to slam the government by
making it look as though we are not serious [in fighting corruption], we
are covering up or we are conducting selective prosecution.”
It is very difficult to reconcile Najib’s words with his actions. In
2007, when he was still the deputy prime minister, he told us that the
government was serious about fighting corruption. Soon after becoming
prime minister in 2009, he outlined the National Key Result Areas
(NKRAs), to improve the international perception of corruption in
Malaysia.
Political games
In July 2009, he appointed various ministers to oversee the
implementation of the NKRAs and the minister whose portfolio it was to
fight corruption was Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri
Aziz. In a recent case involving Nazri’s son and luxury imported cars,
it is like asking the poacher to guard the trout stream.
In August 2009, Najib stated that the government had confidence in
the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and that the MACC should
not be dragged into political games. A few months later, Najib said
that the formulation of the Whistleblowers Act would afford a degree of
protection to informers, who wished to expose corruption.
Many people will question Najib’s sincerity in protecting
whistleblowers, especially after one high- profile person, Rafizi Ramli,
was recently apprehended for his exposé of corruption involving ministers in Najib’s Cabinet.
Two years after assuming office, Najib announced in September 2010
that corrupt people should be prevented from escaping to safe havens:
“The denial of a safe haven for the corrupt and their proceeds of crime
is vital in any strategy to combat corruption.
“Studies reveal that they tend to hide themselves or their ill-gotten gains in foreign jurisdiction” (sic.)
Najib’s speech was delivered by his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin at the
closing of the seminar on corruption in the Asia-Pacific region,
organised by the Asian Development Bank and the Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
If only Najib’s efforts to combat corruption were as good as his rhetoric.
In January 2011, the Washington-based Global Financial Integrity
(GFI) claimed that from 2000 to 2008, illicit financial outflows from
Malaysia had tripled to a staggering RM208 billion (US$68.2 billion).
Illegal outflows
Last month, an online newspaper reported another serious case of
illegal outflows from Malaysia. A study commissioned by the Tax Justice
Network (TJN), a London-based organisation of professionals including
economists and tax consultants, concluded that between 1970 and 2010,
RM893 billion had been spirited out of Malaysia, to tax havens.
Has Najib’s “Janji Di Tepati” been fulfilled? Hardly.
Early this month, Najib encouraged people with information on corruption, to report to the MACC instead of telling the rakyat.
Does Najib not realise that the rakyat have lost all faith in his administration?
A cartoonist, Zunar, is being hounded for drawing cartoons which
depict acts of corruption. His plight has drawn international
condemnation and brought the rakyat’s suffering, at the hands of corrupt
ministers, to international prominence.
Hoslan who tried several avenues, including the MACC, to highlight
the corruption in mosques, received a prison sentence. This is despite
Najib’s assurance that the MACC would investigate corruption, initiate
the prosecution of the guilty and protect the whistleblowers.
Now Rafizi is being prosecuted for exposing corruption at the highest
levels in government. Don’t believe Najib’s Merdeka slogan, “Janji di
tepati” (Promises fulfilled). Actually, what Najib thinks is; “Apa aku
peduli?” (What do I care?”).
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