PMX’s good intent for past leaders to return the loot: Only if pigs could fly

 

IT will not be too extreme to regard Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent plea for former leaders to return their ill-gotten wealth as nothing more than a sandiwara (opera).

Sure, it’s a nice thought but let’s be honest. If these leaders had any sense of responsibility, they wouldn’t have indulged in an act to impoverish their motherland in the first place.

The very idea that they’d suddenly feel a rush of guilt and transfer the money back to Malaysia because PMX said so is nothing but fantasy.

These funds – if they haven’t already been spent on private jets or luxury real estate – are buried so deep in layers of shell companies and offshore accounts that recovering them would require more than just a heartfelt speech from PMX.

But there’s more to this than just the impracticality of the request. The timing of Anwar’s call is a classic case of political theatre which he has carved an ill repute for.

Instead of actually taking drastic steps to fight graft such as distancing himself from corruption-tainted political allies, he was hoping to distract the populace with a familiar line: “Blame the past.”

It’s much easier to shift the focus to corrupt former leaders than to admit that real, meaningful reforms are hard and take time. It buys political goodwill without actually solving anything – at least that could be the thinking behind Anwar’s recent plea.

Even if by some miracle, the money was returned – what’s the plan?

We’ve seen Malaysia squander windfalls before. What assurances do we have that the returned loot would be managed any better this time around?

Double standards

If anything, it might just disappear into the same bureaucratic black hole where public funds go to die. There’s no real guarantee that the rakyat would benefit from it – and more likely – we’d be left wondering where it all went – again.

Anwar’s call also comes with a layer of irony. His Pakatan Harapan (PH)had railed against the corrupt practices of Barisan Nasional (BN) before the last general election. But now that PH-BN are locked in a marriage of convenience, it appears that all is well and good with BN’s past “sins”.

For example, nobody has been charged for the RM9 bil littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal. Is it because successive Defence Ministers were from UMNO, including the party’s current president?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Is there an element of convenient amnesia? But here’s the news for PMX: While the government of the day or its leaders may choose to forget, the public does not.

Asking former leaders to return their loot – while symbolically satisfying – is nothing more than a band-aid over a bullet wound.

If we’re dead serious about preventing future corruption, the focus needs to be on strengthening institutions, tightening oversight and implementing policies that close off the avenues for financial misconduct.

It’s time to move beyond convenient soundbite to rolling out genuine strategies to fight graft. Let’s not hold our breath for a miraculous return of billions.

If we truly want to move forward, we need to focus on building a system where corruption is no longer possible, not just hoping that former crooks will do the right thing after years of doing the opposite. – Focus Malaysia