The people are watching, MACC boss tells Kit Siang

MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad has reminded DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang that the people are watching him and the opposition.

“The rakyat will judge your commitment and seriousness towards fighting corruption and abuse of power," he said.

Dzulkifli was responding to Lim challenging the MACC to recommend that BN does not field candidates implicated in the 1MDB scandal for the next general election.

The veteran politician said if the MACC did this, then DAP would consider Dzulkifli's invitation to submit names of its potential candidates to the commission for vetting.

At his press conference in Penang today, the MACC chief reiterated that the vetting exercise was not required by law and it was up to the parties to adhere to his request.

“If you want to send a list, you can do so. If you do not want to, it is okay," he said.

However, Dzulkifli questioned the reluctance of the parties to submit the names to MACC for screening.

"Why not let us see the list of candidates? Who else can determine whether they are under probe for corruption or not?” he asked.

Dzulkifli said the MACC would only focus on corruption and abuse of power cases as criminal matters fell under the purview of the police.

"Well it is up to them (opposition) but it is important to show commitment to fighting corruption. Don't just talk passionately about it.

“We don't see anything wrong with the vetting process," he added.

'The rakyat are watching'

Dzulkifli said the MACC was open to any party that wanted its candidates to be vetted, adding that this would be the first step for parties to choose the right candidates for the coming election.

"If you wish to do it, we will do it, if not, it is not necessary. But the rakyat are watching," he warned.

"Do you plan to carry out an internal vetting on the candidates? Why not (let) the MACC (do it instead)? We are the people's agency.

"It does not mean that those holding power are not involved in corruption, but MACC will act accordingly if they are involved, and the people must know about it,” he added.

In throwing the 1MDB dare to MACC, Lim had raised questions about the commission's independence and impartiality.

Lim even claimed that if an election was conducted, there was a possibility that more than 90 percent of the respondents would considerMACC to be a tool of the Prime Minister's Office.

He said this in response to Dzulkifli's statement that only BN submitted the names of its leaders and potential candidates to MACC for screening, while the opposition had not done so.

The DAP leader's son and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng himself has been charged with corruption in relation to a land matter and acquiring a bungalow at below market price.

The latter has blamed his political rivals for this.- Mkini