The recent onslaught against Suaram continued when Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri said that human rights advocacy group Suaram would soon face prosecution for its “confusing” and “misleading financial accounts”.
According to press reports, the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) is supposed to have made a recommendation yesterday to the Attorney-General’s office to press charges against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd, a company linked to Suaram, for unexplained financial irregularities.
This is a clear case of double standards and selective prosecution by BN again as many companies that have committed more serious financial irregularities are not given the same attention as that given to suaram and clearly an act of political revenge to distract attention from the alleged Scorpene and National Feedlot Corporation or Cows and Condos scandals.
Why is a privately-funded human rights NGO being selectively victimised over supposed financial irregularities, when there are a multitude of high-profile and scandalous cases of alleged corruption and mismanagement of public funds such as the RM500 million “commission” for the purchase of two Scorpene submarines and the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation scandal?
No Minister ever talked of investigating the accounts of the companies involved in the two alleged scandals.
All the way to the top?
Besides the double-standards and obvious duplicity, this selective persecution against Suaram once again reveals the BN government’s penchant for punishing the whistle-blower. Just as how PKR Election Strategy Director Rafizi Ramli was arrested for revealing bank account details that led to the charges against NFC Chairman Dato’ Seri Mohamed Salleh Ismail, Suaram appears to have been victimised for its role in publicly highlighting and assisting in the Scorpene corruption trial in France.
After all,Suaram’s accounts have been audited and submitted routinely every year. Even Suaram leaders have publicly declared that they have nothing to hide. As Suaram was formed in 1989, why take action only now but not for the previous 23 years?
Is it an act of vengeance over Suaram recent highlighting of the acquisition Scorpene submarine scandal that goes all the way to the top leadership of BN?
Lim Guan Eng is the DAP sec-gen & Penang Chief Minister
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