Rafizi Ramli has cast doubt on the outcome of a special committee probing MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki, claiming that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s “cybertrooper-like” behaviour does not bode well for the investigation.
Speaking on his podcast show “Yang Berhenti Menteri” last night, the former PKR deputy president asserted that Anwar’s social media activities, which include platforming content aligned with Azam, indicate that the prime minister is “not interested” in investigating the officer’s alleged misdeeds.
“...when (Anwar) himself comes out acting as a cybertrooper (by) forwarding things that affirm the current narrative that Azam is being attacked by corrupt groups…that shows his (Anwar’s) stance.
“It means the prime minister believes Azam is clean, (despite) all that has been published by Bloomberg - he has no interest at all in knowing those revelations, no interest in investigating, because he himself is busy acting as a peddler (and) amplifying the narrative (that) Azam is being attacked for doing his job,” he said.
Pointing out that those appointed to the three-member special committee tasked with probing Azam all report to the prime minister, Rafizi backed concerns on the committee’s lack of independence, likening the situation to “friends investigating friends”.
He also bleakly suggested that the committee is unlikely to come up with a conclusion that goes against Anwar’s apparent stance.
“When the prime minister, before the (special committee’s) investigation has even begun, is already acting like a cybertrooper and already made a conclusion, we know where this will end up.
“When the prime minister himself spreads the narrative that Azam is being attacked for doing his job - that is clearly (meant to) shut down entirely the questions that have arisen about Azam’s integrity,” the Pandan MP added.
Three-member committee
Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar is heading the committee while the two other members are Public Service Department director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz and Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican.
Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar’s previous statement indicated that the committee’s scope of investigation is only on the issue of Azam’s shareholding.
This was later backed by Dusuki, who said the committee’s probe does not involve any criminal elements.
Earlier, allegations surfaced that MACC officers had colluded with private individuals to strong-arm business rivals and stage corporate takeovers.
Yesterday, PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar welcomed the government’s decision to form the committee chaired by Dusuki, but cautioned that the move would fall short if its scope was too limited.
She also proposed the establishment of a committee vested with real directive and oversight powers which will report to Parliament. Other quarters had earlier nominated former chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat to lead an independent panel to investigate claims against Azam.
Discrediting critical views
Earlier in his podcast, Rafizi furnished a screenshot of a message allegedly sent by Anwar in a pro-PKR WhatsApp group, with the message featuring a TikTok video which Rafizi said had gained little traction prior to Anwar’s move to blast it out.
The video is said to have discredited Muda’s criticism of Azam by accusing the party of being “funded by” and acting as “tools” of those previously targeted by the anti-graft agency, including Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Daim Zainuddin.
“People outside may not know that apart from being prime minister, (Anwar) also occasionally moonlights as a cybertrooper in WhatsApp,” Rafizi quipped.
“Some people may be surprised. I’ve been with him for a long time - I’m not surprised. He’s like this.”
The former economy minister also highlighted instances of Anwar’s official X account reposting content from “anonymous accounts or cybertroopers”, noting that while it cannot be confirmed whether Anwar himself had authorised such actions, the PKR president bears responsibility.
“If my team retweeted something and I disagreed, ‘memang mati kena hempuk dengan aku’ (they would be severely reprimanded by me).
“Either Anwar himself retweeted (such content) or someone else did, but it means he does not mind his official account spreading things that some of our people are uncomfortable with,” Rafizi said.
Previously, Malaysiakini reported that Anwar’s X page had retweeted a post highlighting MACC’s comments on the report against Rafizi, drawing a comparison to Azam’s shares scandal.
The post read: “If Bloomberg can make a fuss over Azam Baki ‘playing’ shares worth RM1 million, surely it won’t turn a blind eye to one thousand million.”
The issue came amid MACC’s ongoing probe involving a government deal with British semiconductor giant Arm Holdings, where Rafizi is accused of rushing through an agreement that allegedly cost RM1.1 billion.
Rafizi is also being probed for a second allegation involving a large solar energy project by UEM Lestra, where he allegedly steered a contract worth RM2.5 billion toward a company with ties to him. - Mkini
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