Taib shouldn't get special treatment, says TI-M

Being elected does not mean one belongs to “a special class”. This is the message sent to Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud today for his slamming of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as “naughty and dishonest”.

As Taib had been elected by the people, he should respect and uphold the rule of law at all times, Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) president Paul Low (right) said.

“We know Taib is elected by the people. But that does not mean that he belongs to a special class of people (to be absolved from being investigated).

“In fact, by being elected, people expect you to do the right thing in upholding and respecting the rule of law at all times,” Low told Malaysiakini.

He was commenting on Taib's outburst against the MACC earlier this week, in saying that he would not cooperate with the anti-graft commission in its investigations against him.

The long-time Sarawak chief minister was reported to have said that the MACC does not deserve his cooperation because it has been “naughty... and have not been honest”.

Taib also denied that he was a liability to BN, as he had won the last election with more than a two-thirds majority.

Yesterday, MACC director of investigations Mustafar Ali refused tocomment when asked about the lashing against his commission by Taib. 

MACC should act within the Act

On the MACC, Low said the anti-graft commission is empowered under the MACC Act to act on anyone - regardless of their political affiliations - without fear or favour.

"The MACC has to react based on the evidence shown on the Global Witness video because it is incumbent on it to act (on reports of corruption) as an independent body.

"The MACC also has an independent advisory panel to oversee what is going on (is according to procedures)," Low said.

After the Global Witness video - which links Abdul Taib's inner circle of relatives and lawyers to land deals went viral on the Internet - the MACC late last month raided the office of lawyer Alvin Chong (left).

Taib has denied any link with him that had been implied in the video, and described the showing of the video as an attempt to "blacken my name".

Despite this, the Advocates Association of Sarawak has lodged a report against Chong and another lawyer, Huang Lung Ong, who was also implicated in the video, and an internal investigation by the Advocates Inquiry Committee is under way.

So far, all MACC investigations against Taib have been been done by the commission's headquarters in Putrajaya.