Very few bouquets, brickbats aplenty greet Azam Baki’s clocking out as nation’s top anti-graft enforcer

 

THE much-awaited retirement of Tan Sri Azam Baki yesterday (May 2) was one celebrated with unpleasantness on cyberspace as detractors mocked the outgoing Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) head honcho with bluntness of sorts.

In a Facebook post by Malay language Oh! Media on Azam who officially retired after 42 years of service having issued a reminder “not to sabotage” his successor Datuk Seri Abdul Halim Aman, a commenter called on the latter “to please investigate Azam Baki”.

This is despite doubts casted that such expectation could be far-fetched as the graft buster agency’s new chief commissioner “is also handpicked by Anwar (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim)”.

Azam’s teary parting speech as captured by Harian Metro was snubbed by detractors as “merely theatrics” with one commenter pointedly asked, “what is the action like if every civil servant has millions in share ownership”.

On Buletin TV3’s FB Reel which also captured Azam’s teary parting speech, one commenter reminded him to “stand by, you’re next” while another who called for his arrest wanted him “to explain how you could have so many shares in your possession with a civil servant’s salary”.

Blogger-turned-two-term DAP lawmaker (2008-2018) Jeff Ooi in bidding adios to Azam, wondered how Malaysians would rate the latter who served “six years as MACC chief – three of which were on gracious extension after mandatory retirement age thanks to PMX”.

“Azam served under three PMs – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and PMX – and had his contract renewed in 2023, 2024 and 2025,” recounted Ooi who is now Parti Warisan Sabah’s Penang state coordinator.

“But he only took CBT (criminal breach of trust) actions on the first two and went limped on Corporate Mafia and (the) Bestari migrant workers contracts that surfaced during the current Putrajaya administration.”

MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung lambasted the fact that while Azam’s contract officially ended yesterday (May 12), the report by the Special Committee on his stockholding of 17.7 mil shares in Velocity Capital Partner Bhd worth RM1.42 mil has still not been made public.

“How much longer does the government intend to delay the matter?” she groused in a statement.

“The Madani government remains silent over the series of controversies involving Azam Baki and the MACC despite international media revelations regarding his excessive shareholdings to allegations linking the MACC under his leadership to a so-called ‘corporate mafia’ scandal.”

Added the actuary who contested in the 2022 national polls under the Barisan Nasional (BN) ticket for the Bayan Baru parliamentary seat in Penang:

If Azam Baki is involved in corruption, then this is not an ordinary graft case because he was leading the MACC.

It would amount to knowingly breaking the law, abusing power, using public office for personal gain and betraying the very institution entrusted to fight corruption.

If the government claims to champion anti-corruption while allowing Azam Baki to leave through an honourable retirement, then this is an extremely hypocritical approach. –  Focus Malaysia