The Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4) is deeply concerned over the unending 1MDB scandals that have rocked our nation. The latest Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) purchase of one of the two plots of land on the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) for RM 188.5 million reeks with dubious land transactions, bailouts, crony politics and more cover ups.
Shooting the messenger: a misplaced priority
The priority of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar in directing investigations at the leaked documents is misplaced and shows a lack of will in getting to the heart of the matter. Instead of training his guns on the whistleblower, who blew open the scandal, by threatening the draconian Officials Secrets Act, he should, direct his force towards investigating the suspicious land transactions, allegations of patronage politics and conflict of interest and the prospects of LTH jeopardising its contributors rights to pursue their pilgrimage.
The IGP, as the guardian of security and public order in this country, must never allow the public to feel short changed even for a moment, and that those behind the 1MDB scandal are in fact being protected from the long arm of the law. It frustrates us to keep demanding answers as to why none of the previous allegations have been investigated, as these are serious crimes where public funds have been siphoned off by the billions with fraudulent documents and half-truths being spewed before the public.
C4 believes that the growing number of leaks especially from government-linked companies (GLC) is an indication of deep rooted dissatisfaction over the poor level of governance and the lack of integrity among government leaders. This cannot be brushed away anymore. It is in this context especially, that whistleblowers must be given due protection, if the political leadership was serious about curbing graft at all levels.
Patronage politics and cronyism
The can of worms with the TH-1MDB land deal, begs answers to the intricate links between the two companies involved.
Discoveries of the leadership overlap between TH board and the 1MDB leadership who had purportedly acted in conflict of interest, demands immediate clarification from both bodies. Their contracts should be terminated with immediate effect, if found to have been wrongfully discharging their duties. They are Tan Sri Ismee Ismail, Datuk Johan Abdullah, Datuk Dr Abdul Samad Alias.
C4 urges transparency by LTH over all other investment deals it has engaged in over the past years. Contributors deserve the right to know how their monies were invested and what returns were obtained.
*Cynthia Gabriel is founding director of the Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism.
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