Political lobbyists, not non-Muslims root of corruption, says G25

 

G25 accused PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang of ignoring the truth in blaming non-Muslims as being the root of corruption.

PETALING JAYA: A group of prominent retired civil servants has joined the chorus in slamming PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for his claim that non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras were at the root of corruption in the country.

In a statement, G25 said the claim by Hadi displayed his lack of knowledge about the root causes of corruption.

“He ignores the truth about how frontliners act as lobbyists for business owners to reach the top members of the ruling party, be it at the federal or state level.

“The lobbyists go for whoever can offer them the best deal, such as a success fee or a partnership in a company that is owned by non-Malays,” the group said, adding that it was therefore not right to blame the non-Malays.

G25 explained that these political lobbyists are sometimes referred to as “rent collectors”.

“They do not do any real work except to knock on the doors of ministers and get paid by their business principals for making the introductions.”

The group claimed that foreign investors who were unfamiliar with local politics and the local decision-making process also make use of these lobbyists to access high-level contacts and obtain lucrative contracts.

“Foreigners know that to get government business, such as a defence contract for the littoral combat ship project, they have to get the political lobbyists to do what is necessary,” it said.

According to G25, this included giving out cash incentives to ensure that their clients will be able to meet the people in power.

“With so many ‘rent collectors’ to pay, the costs of corruption make government expenditures unnecessarily high for the country.

“The PAS president should have mentioned how money is used to make the political lobby job so attractive to party officials. They are the real movers and shakers of corruption at the highest levels of government.”

At a convention on Saturday, Hadi was reported to have said that the country had reached a point that “these people” (non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras) ended up controlling the country’s economy and using their money to taint politics, the administration and judiciary.

Utusan Malaysia also reported him as saying that apathy among Malay voters had caused non-Malays and “liberals” to gain political power in the last general election (GE14).

He said it had become PAS’ responsibility to raise awareness among Malays about the importance of taking part in the country’s politics. - FMT