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Monday, February 8, 2016

DPM Zahid must speak frankly and sternly about corruption

Anyone crossing the line when it comes to corruption, when they are in sports or government, should be restrained and reprimanded.
COMMENT

zahid,rasuah,bola
By T K Chua
When I read our Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) warning of stern action against those guilty of match-fixing and bribery in the M-League football, I almost burst out laughing.
Please don’t get me wrong. It is not that I tolerate corruption in football. Certainly it is one of the menaces that should be tackled for the good of the sport.
However I feel that our priorities are mixed up. I would prefer our DPM give the same stern warning on corruption against those in general administration and government. I would prefer instead that he urge the Police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to spring into action against the corrupt in government the same way he urged them to tackle bribery and match-fixing in football.
Corruption and match-fixing in sports are a form of gambling. They are willing participants and they ought to know the consequences of their actions. Their actions generally do not affect the man on the street as severely as corruption in government administration does.
Hence, while it is not wrong for our DPM to talk about corruption in football, it would be much more productive for him to talk about corruption in government and urge for quick action to be taken against perpetrators there too.
Then I read the DPM’s statement on the Attorney-General’s proposal to impose stiffer penalties on those found guilty of leaking government official secrets.
I am a little confused over this statement – perhaps it was deliberate? He warned the Opposition not to politicise the AG’s proposal but at the same time said: “This (decision) should be respected. The AG’s agenda is to enforce the law and not to politicise an issue and be inundated with the politicised interpretation of the issue. This should not be seen as a political issue by anyone, including the Opposition,” most news portals reported.
What does this mean? Was this a double-barrelled warning to the Opposition as well as to the AG?
As a DPM, I would have preferred if he was more direct when the occasion called for it. Under our present system of government, the AG is a government servant. As a government servant, he has no policy-making role. He only enforces what is on the table. He may advise and suggest, but certainly not openly give his opinion on how and why certain laws in the country should be made more severe and draconian. That is certainly not his role. That is the role of the political masters and the will of the people through the legislature.
The AG is not the sole authority to interpret our Constitution and the extent of the rights it confers on its citizens. Hence it is not for him to say that the Constitution did not confer the “right to know” on its citizens. The Constitution should not be read literally and line by line. The Constitution should be read in spirit and in essence if we are sincere and democratic in our hearts.
May I urge our DPM to get his priorities right and to speak clearly and sternly? Anyone crossing the line should be restrained and reprimanded.
A happy Chinese New Year to all who are celebrating.
T K Chua is an FMT reader.

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