Umno Senator Sharizat Jalil has a curious strategy to combat the RM80 Million (or so, who’s counting) corruption allegations against her and her family. She responds, after days of possibly frightened silence, with bare denial, and empty bluster.
She provided no explanation of how her family-owned companies are alleged to have ended up with eighty million in public funds. Instead, she blusters that she is ‘ashamed’ that there is a woman like Zuraida Kamarudin (PKR’s Wanita Head) in Malaysia. Whatever does she mean? Malaysian women should not expose possible corruption by female Ministers?
How nonsensical!
Apparently this is an attack against Wanita Umno, not against her. Is Shahrizat suggesting that there are other members of Wanita Umno involved in this rather unintelligent and awfully blatant scam? Or does she seek protection in numbers?
Shahrizat has nothing to be afraid of actually, since no one is going to investigate her. Not the police, not the pathetic MACC and nor will there be any Parliamentary Select Committee looking into this. She may sit home and count her profits from her butcher’s trade. As well as from the largesse of the Ministry of Agriculture which by right should be channeling every cent to solving the problem of rising food prices.
Instead they seem to waste it on Shahrizat’s immediate relatives. Shahrizat’s case is the perfect example of how Umno has gone wrong. Instead of helping alleviate the poverty of the poorest Malaysians, more than 70% of whom are Malay, they channel government funds to Bangsar-residing and already-wealthy Malays, like Shahrizat & Family.
Did she help bring down prices
In a nation with responsible institutions and a genuine rule of law, Shahrizat, along with her relatives, would be sitting in a cell, separated from her passport by now. And Noh Omar would be under investigation.
In the new, anti-corruption India, a sitting Chief Minister’s daughter and MP, K Kanimozhi, was sent to Tihar jail for alleged involvement in the 2G corruption scam. In Malaysia, those accused may bluster and bamboozle their way through; safe that they are members of the BN. For, of course Umno will not want their Wanita Chief to be in such troubles so close to the election, if at all.
Meanwhile, ordinary citizens may, thanks to the abject failure that the Agriculture Minister is, pay ever higher prices for their food. Food prices are up an average of 5% over last year. Meat is up a whopping 8.2%. Your salary is not likely to have risen so much year on year. Maybe you should eat less meat and more fish, since fish is only up 7.5%.
Shahrizat, of course, may dine at the finest restaurants, smiling family in tow.
Malaysia Chronicle
At the end of the day income earners like us would be only able to dine sands and stones being our staple food
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