Zahid, Anwar, Hajiji
Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - It looks like a bid to burnish Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's anti-corruption credentials is backfiring spectacularly.
Not only has Pas, the country's most influential Muslim party and the initial chief suspect in a bribery scandal recorded on video, thrown the gauntlet at Anwar's feet and challenged him to order the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission to start a probe - rumors are now rife that the culprits are actually linked his own ally, whom he is seen as too politically reliant on to act against.
Media reports are now linking Sabah's chief minister Hajiji Noor to the eight video tapes leaked to a pro-Anwar portal showing a group of state lawmakers unabashedly discussing how much bribes to take in exchange for awarding a project to a contractor.
It is not clear if Hajiji, who has not spoken, is captured or in anyway involved in the controversial clips but Yusof Yacob, the assemblyman for Sindumin, has acknowledged his own implication in the recordings.
However Yusof, who is also chairman of Qhazanah Sabah, the state government's investment arm, denies any wrongdoing and has accused his enemies of using Artificial Intelligence to smear him ahead of statewide elections that must be held next year.
“Let them go viral, the issue now is AI. There’s no need to deny, just let the MACC investigate if there’s a case,” Yusof said in a statement to the press.
“Yes, leave it to the MACC if there’s anything. If anyone has something, report it to the MACC. I’m very clear on that. If there’s anything, anytime, I have no problem cooperating,” he added.
REMOVE MACC FROM ANWAR'S PMO
Unfortunately, the problem appears to lie with the MACC, which has been accused of being used by Anwar to pressure political rival and critics to achieve his political agenda.
That the MACC has been slow or unwilling to respond was evident in the lukewarm way it chief Azam Baki dismissed the tapes as being too flimsy to act on. Instead, Azam had challenged the source of the tapes to lodge an official complaint while emphasizing his commission could not guarantee any immunity from prosecution or protection under the Whistleblower's Act.
The backlash against Azam has been tremendous with former law minister Zaid Ibrahim pointing out that the MACC could itself lodge the report, while anti-graft activists including C4 have also panned Azam for dragging his feet instead of responding swiftly on the matter.
“Whistleblowing is an extremely precarious task – the government cannot simply ask the whistleblower to report to an institution they do not trust,” C4 added.
Just a month ago, C4 had called for the MACC to be made an independent body or as many have suggested, to be placed directly under Parliament's care.
"Anwar’s administration has been facing a growing amount of criticism for their inability to address corruption adequately despite paying lip service to it so often — the public trust deficit is ever-expanding," C4 had said on October 9.
"Thus, we strongly urge the government to pursue MACC independence reforms in order to remove it from the control of the Prime Minister's Office,” C4 added.
STOP, NOT REVITALIZE THE CORRUPT CULTURE OF PAST REGIMES
It also warned Anwar that prolonging and continuing with the bad practices and corrupt culture of past regimes may lead to the demise of his own.
"The government would do well to remember that they do not rule by a majority, and that 2020 has shown us that politics of the nation can change in an instant — goodwill and faith are finite resources and will dry up if not managed," continued C4.
It was referring to the 2020 collapse of the Mahathir Mohamad-led Pakatan Harapan government after a large group of lawmakers switched allegiance purportedly after having been lured by lucrative promises.
RECALCITRANCE ON THE RISE - ELECTIONS & POWER THE EXCUSES?
Meanwhile, there does not appear to be any hope of improvement - with no signs of repentance recalcitrance on the rise instead.
Emboldened by the growing perceptions that Anwar was not only too weak to rock his own boat but also indulging in political games of his own, it seems to be business as usual for the more dubious lawmakers in his regime.
However, one thing that Sindumin's Yusof is spot on about is that with elections nearby, anything and perhaps everything is up for grabs.
“We need to clarify this. Right now, we have many enemies, and a lot is happening. Be careful during this time — people can do anything,” Yusof said.
He was referring to the Sabah state election where Hajiji's GRS coalition is likely to face a bitter fight for the state government against coalition colleague Umno-BN, which Anwar too cannot afford to displease.
NOTHING WILL HAPPEN - WHEN THE CAT PLAYS GAMES, SO WILL THE MICE?
"Nothing will happen to them," a political insider told PoliticsNow Malaysia. "It is as I said, games, shenanigans and dramas. All sound and fury but no action and Anwar has no one to blame but himself. He is seen playing games, so not only will those in the opposition play him back but those within his own unity government including Umno-BN will play him out. It's all a matter of time.
"Corruption is here to stay and already worsening under Anwar watch. If under ex-PM Najib Razak's Umno-BN, the great fight to stay in power was so that those in government could continue to amass wealth through corruption, these days it is to go easy on the corrupt or even be selectively corrupt so that those in government can continue to stay in power," the insider added.
Nuanced or not, the difference is not unclear while the similarity is obvious. Whether it is acceptable is up to the Malaysian voter, who fortunately are becoming more discerning by the day. However, they only get to speak up when the next general election rolls around by 2027. In the meantime, it looks to be business as usual - be it Mahathir's Malaysia, Najib's Malaysia or Anwar's Malaysia!
Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow Malaysia
https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/
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