My room at Sungai Buloh still vacant, Anwar reminds the powerful

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim questioned the public sympathy on grounds of age for notable people charged with crimes. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has sounded a warning to “untouchable” powerful people who embezzle huge sums but are able to evade punishment because of the influence they wield.

“My room at Sungai Buloh remains vacant,” Anwar said. “Let me make it clear. Whether you hold titles like Datuk Seri, Tan Sri, or Tun, if you are virtuous, we respect you. However, if you engage in corruption, we will apprehend you and imprison you,”Astro Awani quoted him as saying.

The reference to Sungai Buloh was a reminder of the three years he spent in prison after being convicted on a sodomy charge in 2015. He was freed in 2018 after a full royal pardon was granted.

Anwar said the government’s efforts to combat corruption were not motivated by long-standing grievances but rather by the desire to rid the country of the scourge of corruption regardless of rank or age.

Corrupt individuals should worry about consequences, while those abstaining from corruption need not fear, he said after inaugurating a mosque in Berapit, Penang.

“These are people who embezzle tens of billions but we do not dare to touch [them], but if a police sergeant is involved in a RM200 bribery case, everyone gets angry,” he said.

“I’m not saying it’s right to take bribes, if it’s wrong, it’s wrong,” he said, adding that people who embezzled huge sums, such as RM10 billion, often evaded punishment because of the influence they wield.

He questioned public acceptance of such behaviour.

“Despite facing court charges, they receive support from MPs, and their age elicits public sympathy.

“So if an old person robs, is it acceptable?

“If an old person rapes, is it acceptable? Where did you learn this?” he was quoted as saying.

Anwar said the campaign against corruption was not about holding grudges or focusing on past cases.

“In old cases, if someone took RM200, I forgive them, but in old cases where RM20 billion was taken, that’s not my money, it’s your money, it’s the people’s money,” he said.

Anwar also reiterated he does not interfere in the affairs of the authorities; rather, the effort to combat corruption is comprehensive.

“I refuse to compromise and we must confront this issue head-on. No matter what, I will not compromise in eradicating major corruption in our country,” he said. - FMT