Hopefully The Truth Not A Ruse

A Kadir Jasin

THE WORSE thing that could happen to any struggle is to lose hope. So let us not lose hope. Let us pray that there are still be a few good men and women out there.

And it is in that spirit that I accord the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner, (Tan Sri) Abu Kassim Mohamed,the benefit of the doubt when he said investigations into Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Mappadulung Daeng Mattimung Karaeng Sanrobone) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak's RM2.6-billion as well as the SRC International’s missing funds are independent.

I came to know Abu Kassim personally in 2004, when he testified to the Royal Commission on the Improvement of the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police on corruption in the police force.

Abu Kassim known for incorruptibility

I was a member of the Commission and he was the MACC chief for Penang. The Commission zeroed in on him because of his reputation as an incorruptible and hard-nosed corruption investigator.

I hope, Insya-Allah, he remains the same Abu Kassim, whether investigating corrupt policemen collecting protection money from gangsters in Penang or the Prime Minister’s billion and the SRI International’s allegedly misappropriated funds.

He told the independent Sinar Harian newspaper in an exclusive interview that these are the most challenging cases he has investigated in his entire career, adding that members of the investigating team have carried out their duties as best and as professionally as possible.

Abu Kassim said, even though there are all sorts of perceptions about the two cases, as long as he is the MACC’s Chief Commissioner, the investigations would be conducted professionally.

“When we have a case, we will present our recommendations in the investigation paper. And they are truly based on merit,” he said.

Abu Kassim went on to pledge that no quarters would be allowed to influence the Commission, adding that this was the promise he made to his officers.

Truth Will Finally Be Known

Abu Kassim, his men and women cannot back down or be cowed. They have taken too much risk and made too many promises to the public.

In the Sinar Harian interview, he said Malaysians would learn the truth behind the RM2.6-billion in Mohd Najib's personal accounts when the time is right.

Abu Kassim promising the truth

The MACC has to fulfil these promises or the Commission is as good as dead.

Even if attempts to sabotage the investigations and to cover-up the wrongdoings continue, truth will finally be known. Whether in the court or law or in the court of public opinion the truth will surface.

There is a Malay proverb that says, “mulut tempayan boleh ditutup, mulut manusia bagaimana menutupnya.” Far too many people have known the truth about these cases and are not willing to be accused of complicity to hinder justice.

It is no longer possible to stop the information from leaking and flowing into public domain.

"Mulut tabuh boleh disumbat, mulut orang bagaimana menyumbatnya." You can muzzle the sound of the drums but you cannot muzzle the voice of the people.

The perpetrators may try and they may even succeed in hiding behind the bastion of power in the short term. They may even be willing to bring the whole country down with them, but they cannot run away from the truth forever.

The Danger of Complicity

As I have stated in past postings, the rakyat are watching every move made by the people associated with the Prime Minister like his deputy (Datuk Seri) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and warrior-ministers like (Datuk Seri Pahlawan) Salleh Said Keruak, (Dato’) Abdul Rahman Dahlan and (Dato’ Seri) Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

Also senior civil servants like the Attorney-General (Tan Sri) Mohamed Apandi Ali, the IGP (Tan Sri) Khalid Abu Bakar, the Chief Secretary to the Government (Tan Sri) Ali Hamsa, the Secretary-General of the Finance Ministry, (Tan Sri) Dr. Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah and the 1MDB President, Arul “Azrul” Kanda Kandasamy.

Sooner or later they will be made to account for their role is these costly affairs.

I am reminded of the fine civil servants and public sector executives who ended up going to jail while their political masters went scot-free or were only lightly punished.

Their reputation and family dignity destroyed and they spent the rest of their days as outcasts.

My generation remembers the Bank Rakyat, the Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) and the Tabung Haji scandals.

And they were insignificant compared to the ongoing 1MDB, the Prime Minister’s RM2.6-billion and the SRI International cases.

Let us pray that Abu Kassim was stating the truth because deep in my heart, I fear that it could be a ruse. I fear that his proclamation of independence has a hidden reason – to establish credibility so that if ever the MACC were to find no case against Mohd Najib, the public would be forced to believe it.

Wallahuaklam.