GE vetting: Kit Siang throws 1MDB curve ball at MACC chief

Lim Kit Siang has thrown a 1MDB-related dare to MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad over his invitation to political parties to submit the names of their prospective general election candidates for screening.

The DAP veteran said if MACC can recommend that BN candidates involved in the 1MDB scandal not be fielded in the next election, then he would recommend to the DAP central executive committee that the party candidates be subjected to the vetting process.

Lim was responding to Dzulkifli's statement that only BN submitted the names of its leaders and potential candidates to MACC for screening while the opposition has not done so.

“Dzulkifli is not so naive as not to know the real reason why the opposition parties had never sent their prospective election candidates to MACC for vetting,” he said in a statement.

He claimed an opinion poll on whether MACC is viewed as independent and impartial could possibly witness more than 90 percent of the respondents considering the commission to be a tool of the Prime Minister's Office.

'The ball is in MACC's court'

However, Lim said he is prepared to be convinced otherwise should MACC accept his challenge with regard to BN candidates involved in the 1MDB scandal.

“The ball is in MACC’s court. Can the MACC deliver?” he asked.

Commenting on MACC's current national roadshow themed “Say No to Corruption”, Lim suggested that it be renamed “Say No to 1MDB” instead.

The Gelang Patah MP listed five reasons for this, which included the need for MACC to directly address the 1MDB scandal if it hoped to gain the trust and confidence of Malaysians and the world.

“The 1MDB scandal will be the acid test for MACC and Dzulkifli, as to whether they are serious, independent, impartial and professional in fighting corruption, without fear or favour, or whether they are merely creatures of the powers-that-be to use the language of anti-corruption to cover up the corruption and kleptocracy of the powers-that-be,” Lim said.

The opposition leader also cited a book titled “The Corruption Cure”, in which author Robert Rotberg pointed out that anti-corruption commissions are no panaceas to the problem of corruption.

The author also claimed that in many countries, such commissions have been worse than ineffective as they have been “weaponised to punish opponents of corrupt regimes”.

Lim asked: “Has the MACC been 'weaponised' by the BN government to fight opponents of Malaysia becoming a global kleptocracy?”- Mkini