We need real probe into our cash-and-carry politicians

 

If indeed key ministers and politicians are involved in receiving so-called political donations in cash, as alleged in a corruption trial last Friday, it is perhaps the clearest indication yet so far that corruption has permeated the top ranks of politicians.

For this country to progress, it needs good politicians who are honest, straight and incorruptible while being competent. It has long been suspected that there have been substantial inappropriate and illegal “donations”, but strong evidence emerging has been hardly investigated.

These need to be taken seriously and investigated. If this backdoor government, in any way, hinders such investigations then it needs to be thrown out at the next polls where hopefully a less corrupt government will take over and take Malaysia forward again.

Among the most shocking revelations is in the ongoing corruption trial of Umno president and former home minister and deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. A key witness alleged that major politicians, including former prime minister and Bersatu head Muhyiddin Yassin, received payments from the same source in addition to Zahid.

Muhyiddin was alleged to have received RM1.3 million. Other prominent people said to have received money, according to entries in a ledger and confirmed by a former administrative manager of the company (Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd, or UKSB), included Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who was alleged to have received RM3.7 million.

Other prominent names in the UKSB ledger include Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, then rural development minister and Warisan head Shafie Apdal, then foreign minister Anifah Aman and the then deputy foreign minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican (now housing and local government minister). These names were also mentioned in MACC’s forensic report.

Scandal widens

Zahid is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and the then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the One-Stop Centre in China and the Foreign Visa System (VLN) as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the Home Ministry.

For another seven counts, Zahid was charged as then home minister to have obtained for himself S$1.150 million, RM3 million, €15,000 and US$15,000 in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.

The latest allegations effectively widen the case to other key leaders. Muhyiddin has denied the allegations, saying that in July 2018, he had undergone surgery for cancer and had gone on leave for several months.

"In fact, on one of the dates mentioned by the witness where I reportedly received the cash bribe, I was actually undergoing treatment at a hospital abroad,” he said.

Muhyiddin’s statement was disputed by, of all people, the one who claims to have received a US$681 million “donation” from a Saudi prince, former prime minister of 1MDB fame Najib Abdul Razak.

This “donation” to Najib is over 2,000 times more than the alleged “political donation” to Muhyiddin of RM1.3 million in total. Najib is facing criminal charges over this and other matters.

Anyway, Najib maintained that for all three alleged instalment payments totalling RM1.3 million to Muhyiddin and dates of payments, news reports indicated that Muhyiddin was well and out and about. Good of him to point that out.

Curious statement

Needless to say, the MACC, so eager to investigate a sitting judge based on an allegation by a discredited blogger and who once was (still is?) a fugitive, has now said it will investigate the allegations.

That is a rather curious statement considering that it was the investigating authority then and all of UKSB’s ledger entries were available to it. Did the ledger entries not pique their curiosity or were they so focused on single-mindedly investigating Zahid that they ignored possible questionable donations right under their noses to other prominent politicians?

In many of the current cases involving both corruption and money laundering, the standard defence seems to be political donations as if that alone is enough to remove blame from the recipient.

If indeed it is a political donation or a donation of any sort, there is a process that has to be followed, and it should be made to the political party and appropriately declared, not to an individual, especially someone who is in a position of power to grant very valuable favours.

For the MACC, surely it must know that the line between political donation and corruption is quite clear and that a lot of politicians clearly live beyond their means. It is up to them to investigate and bring the cases to light.

By working together with the police, the Inland Revenue Department and other regulatory and enforcement authorities, it will be possible to build a comprehensive, watertight case against them based on the laws of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering, amongst others.

At the end of the day, it is a matter of political will - is there a desire to see all crooks, including those who are politicians and those in positions of power, brought to book and put where they belong - behind bars? How could there be if the top is already rotten?

That will require a sea change in Malaysian politics, attitudes and sensibilities, starting with throwing this backdoor government out of power at the next polls. That is the first step to re-initiate change to focus on the fight against corruption - the mother of all ills - and to work for the betterment of Malaysia and the rakyat. - Mkini

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P GUNASEGARAM, a former editor at online and print news publications, and head of equity research, is an independent writer and analyst.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.