An opposition lawmaker has accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of being more vindictive than the latter's archnemesis Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Responding to the corruption charges against a Bersatu leader today, Pendang MP Awang Hashim asked why there were no charges in more serious cases.
Specifically, he asked why there is a lack of prosecution on the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal - a case that is linked to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby, Awang (above) said charging Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan for corruption was selective prosecution, and reflected badly on Anwar.
"If this is the start for the prime minister, he is the worst prime minister in Malaysia.
"Even Dr Mahathir who was called cruel (zalim) was not like this.
"The prime minister's vindictiveness is very strong and very vengeful," he said.
Wan Saiful was charged today with soliciting a bribe of an unspecified amount and for receiving a bribe of RM6.96 million between July 8, 2022 and Sept 30, 2022.
A businessperson, who is also a Bersatu member, was also charged with seeking a bribe of between 3.5 percent and 7 percent from the value of a project.
Both cases were linked to the Jana Wibawa programme, with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin also being questioned by the MACC over the matter.
Awang said another case of selective prosecution was the probe into the contents of the Pandora Papers regarding offshore accounts, in which another of Anwar's rivals, Daim Zainuddin, is implicated.
He said if Anwar wanted to fix the perception that the latter was vindictive, he should take action on the LCS scandal.
"Let prosecution be serious and non-selective. (Prosecute on the) LCS (case) first
"Because the LCS (involves) those on the prime minister's left and right," he said.
Criminal charges over the LCS case are actually already in court.
In August last year, former Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) managing director Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM21.08 million.
BNS was the contractor tasked with building six littoral combat ships (LCS) for the Royal Malaysian Navy.
However, critics have asked why more charges have not been filed against Zahid.
The letter of award for the project was issued in 2011, when Zahid was the defence minister.
While the deputy prime minister had denied involvement in the LCS procurement, he had signed off on a letter of intent from BNS on the project.
Official reports also cite Zahid as having changed his mind on the design for the LCS - against the navy's wishes.
PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli had also implicated Bersatu leader Abdul Latiff Ahmad in the scandal, although the latter has vehemently denied it.
Back on the charges against Wan Saiful, Awang said that this was likely aimed at weakening Perikatan Nasional ahead of the six state elections in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan.
A similar sentiment was shared by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
"I view (the charges against Wan Saiful) as selective prosecution, which must be related to preparations for the state elections," he said. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.