Seven points on Azam Baki protest

 

 1) The whole of central Kuala Lumpur was shut down just to save one man - MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki - from protesters calling him to step down. Wow, what an amazing show of “efficiency” by the authorities!

If only we had the same efficiency to rescue flood victims in Selangor. Or patrol our neighbourhoods to stop burglars and snatch thieves? Or patch potholes on our roads?

What does this show about the “priorities” of this government under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob?

2) A small group of about 200 protesters caused the great government to panic so much that they sent in 1,000 police officers and men to shut down KL. Yup, there were five times more cops than protesters on Saturday (Jan 22).

If the few of them had been allowed to do their demonstration and then go home, probably few people would be talking about it now.

Instead, the overkill reaction - closing down six major roads, shutting down 25 LRT/MRT stations and banning gatherings for a whole week - transformed the small protest into a huge national event.

It was as if an elephant held a magnifying glass over a small mouse and everyone saw a lion! This made Azam’s case look much more suspicious.

Dear PM Ismail Sabri, this is like running furiously up and down the football field only to score an own goal.

3) The PM is not known for being especially intelligent. He seems to know no other way to tackle problems except with brute, blunt force (like locking down KL).

When he was handling Covid-19 movement control orders (MCO) as defence minister (under Muhyiddin Yassin), he was given many suggestions (for example, this one by Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming) on how to deal with the pandemic while reducing hardship to the people and the economy.

Instead, he seemed to understand only one method, strict MCOs and threats of ever more punishments. The result? Malaysia’s economy in 2021 was the worst performer among the larger Asean countries.

Now, what did Albert Einstein say about “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”? Yup, it’s the definition of insanity.

'Berani kerana benar'

4) The Malay saying goes, “berani kerana benar”. So Azam should bravely welcome an impartial investigation over his apparently unexplained wealth to clear his name. Especially since he is the chief anti-corruption official of the country.

Ah, but the Securities Commission (SC) has already “looked into” this and declared his innocence you may say?

No, that’s not true. The SC announced that Azam had not broken share trading rules, because only he (and not his brother) had control over his share trading account. 

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki

This means that Azam was lying about his blessed brother using his share trading account to buy almost two million shares.

More crucially, the SC did not touch the core issue of this case – where the heck did Azam get all that money to buy those shares? Could he afford it from his civil servant’s salary? Or did somebody give him the money? If so, since there’s no such thing as a free lunch, what “favour” did Azam give in exchange?

Both Azam and the prime minister have misinterpreted (deliberately?) the SC probe to mean that the “case is closed”.

It may be enough to fool simple-minded kampung voters. But it’s not enough to fool other Malaysians who have sharper eyes.

Unless they are distracted with other political drama, such as the newly declared Johor state election. Hmm… what timing!

5) Why does the government have to shut down our capital city to avoid a free and fair probe into the millions of shares that Azam himself already admitted was in his account?

Why not just do a proper inquiry?

Meanwhile, Parliament speaker Azhar “Art” Harun uses all kinds of “artistic” reasons to block discussions about the case in the Dewan Rakyat.

It all looks like forcing down the lid of a boiling pot. Instead of releasing all the pent-up steam of controversy, the pressure keeps building up. Sooner or later, something’s gonna explode.

Why not just do a proper inquiry? What is so difficult about that? If Azam is guilty, it’s just one man who falls, right?

6) Unless a probe would reveal that Azam is merely the tip of the iceberg? Or should I say, the sh*tberg of corruption in this country?

Some Malaysians speculate that this guy “knows too much”, or to use the mafia term, “knows where the bodies are buried”. Therefore, he can never be allowed to testify in public (mafia talk: “to sing”) because he will implicate too many important people.

Are these rumours true? Has the rot reached so deep into the system?

7) Youth activists (such as Adam Adli) were willing to risk police detention to speak up on the streets. They represent the anger that many of us feel about what’s gone wrong with our country.

All this gives us hope that the battle for a better Malaysia is far from over. As a famous quote goes, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."

But they can't do it alone. It’s up to the rest of us to support them. And to stand up in our own small ways too.  - Mkini

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ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.