RCI needed over grave claims by Syed Saddiq, Ku Nan

 

Yesterday, two former ministers made statements that included an alarming accusation: that previous and current government leaders had or are abusing instruments of government to have things their way.

In essence, both former Federal Territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman claim they were threatened by the government in power to comply with what was requested or face the consequences.

When they didn’t play ball, they claim, they were investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and charged.

These are very, very serious allegations as they go against the grain of democracy and natural justice. They strike at the very foundation of our trust in the government and government institutions.

Tengku Adnan, who was recently acquitted of accepting RM2 million from a businessman, claims he was hauled to court for ignoring former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s advice, on numerous occasions, to quit Umno and join Bersatu, which Mahathir was then heading.

“In the end, the threats made against me if I refused to switch camps became a reality. I was dragged to court on trumped-up charges,” he said in a Facebook post.

The Putrajaya MP, better known as Ku Nan, said if he had joined Bersatu then, he would have been given a ministerial position and “my court case would have been dropped in a blink of an eye”.

We have to remember though that this is just Ku Nan’s version of the story.

But it’s interesting because it comes from a man who knows or should know how government or government leaders work better than a layman does.

It raises the question: Is this how our elected governments operate?

Ku Nan made these remarks soon after Syed Saddiq claimed that the two criminal charges levelled against him yesterday morning were politically motivated and that it was the result of his refusal to support the current administration.

The youth and sports minister in the Pakatan Harapan government yesterday claimed trial to two charges of misappropriating a total of RM1.12 million belonging to Bersatu Youth. A total of RM120,000 of that amount was said to be party funds for the 2018 general election, while RM1 million was allegedly withdrawn by him without the top leadership’s consent.

On the night of July 21, Syed Saddiq, in saying he expected to be charged in court the following day, added: “I will never sell my soul and principles to Perikatan Nasional.”

The Muar MP, in a video on Twitter, added: “It’s in moments like these that I am reminded why I joined politics. The truth will always prevail. I would rather go to court than join Perikatan Nasional.”

Yesterday, Syed Saddiq told the media that several other MPs were also being “targeted” by the authorities and that these MPs were being called in for questioning by the MACC.

Just as in the case of Ku Nan’s remarks, this is just Syed Saddiq’s side of the story.

However, some are already asking why he is being charged so close to the sitting of Parliament, on July 26. This will surely bring to memory the case involving PKR president Anwar Ibrahim who was charged with and acquitted by the High Court of sodomy in 2012.

Then, while Anwar was busy making his “Kajang move” to stand for the Kajang state seat in a forced by-election with a view of becoming the menteri besar of Selangor, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the High Court and found him guilty. The conviction meant Anwar could not contest in the by-election.

It was reported that the Court of Appeal was originally scheduled to sit in April but that the date was moved forward to March 6 and 7. This started tongues wagging as the by-election had been fixed for March 23.

So it’s interesting that Syed Saddiq has been charged just before Parliament is scheduled to sit on July 26, where the question of whether Prime Minister Muhyddin Yassin actually has majority support may be raised, provided the speaker allows it. Talk is that Muhyiddin does not command majority support and that even if a handful of Umno MPs were to vote against him, his government will fall.

It could be that the timing of the charges against Syed Saddiq have nothing to do with the sitting of Parliament and is mere coincidence.

But that won’t stop politically aware Malaysians from wondering if charging Syed Saddiq at this particular time is to send a message to all MPs who will be meeting on July 26.

This episode raises an important question: Are our governments or government leaders abusing their powers to ensure they stay in power? I think this warrants the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry as it is simply too big a matter to be talked about and forgotten.

Two former ministers who served in two different administrations are making the same charge and it must be taken seriously.

And Mahathir himself, who has often been accused of using government agencies to crush dissent when he was prime minister, has on several occasions accused the Muhyiddin government of abusing its powers to initiate arbitrary investigations against his supporters in the struggle to stay in power. Sure, that is Mahathir’s story but the veteran leader must surely know first hand – don’t you think – the type of tactics our governments use.

If these allegations are true, it is an attack on the very vitals of our democracy and sense of nationhood. If true, it would mean our institutions have been compromised.

Importantly, people will now wonder if they can trust our institutions and the professionalism of top civil servants. And surely trust in the government will erode even further? That’s not good at all.

Given the seriousness of the matter, I suggest that only former judges sit on this panel, not former civil servants or business personalities.

An RCI should be able to tell us how bad the rot is and how to rectify it. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.