Call for AES (Automatic Enforcement System) to fight “grand corruption” in Malaysia by making unusual and extraordinary wealth an automatic corruption offence


Since Datuk Seri Najib Razak became Prime Minister nearly 44 months ago, one of his constant themes is that “the era that the government knows best is over”.

This is however one of his most broken pledges and the most recent example of this violation is the Barisan Nasional government’s stubborn determination to implement the AES (Automatic Enforcement System) for traffic offences, despite the loud, unmistakable and growing demand by the Malaysian public for the suspension of the AES implementation until there is a proper study and the fullest public consultation and preparation, which is reinforced by the decision of the four Pakatan Rakyat state governments of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan to suspend the AES implementation in their respective states.

There is however one AES which should be introduced and implemented immediately – and this is to fight and eradicate “grand corruption” by top political and government leaders by making unusual and extraordinary wealth an automatic corruption offence!

There can be no doubt that one of the biggest failures of the Najib premiership, whether his Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and National Key Result Areas (NKRAs), is the battle against corruption.

This is why Malaysia under Najib is even more corrupt than under previous Prime Ministers as reflected in Malaysia’s worst ranking and score in the 2011 Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) when compared to all the TI CPIs of the past 17 years.

Malaysia was ranked No. 23 in 1995 and had the best score of 5.32 in 1996, but in the TI CPI, we fell to No. 60 with the worst score of 4.3 while other countries whether in ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific or the OIC countries had been improving by leaps and bounds in their anti-corruption campaigns.

If Najib is serious about giving priority to the battle against corruption, he should introduce and implement the AES to fight “grand corruption” by making unusual and extraordinary wealth an automatic corruption offence, as is to be found in Hong Kong and other countries serious about fighting corruption in high places.

Malaysians have recently been reminded that despite all the boasts of GTP and NKRA giving priority to fight corruption, and the increased funding, staffing and additional powers for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), there is simply no political will to combat corruption, particularly “grand corruption” involving people in high places in government.

There is for instance widespread public incredulity at the clumsy manner of the Najib government to cover up the scandal of the RM40 million “donation to Sabah UMNO” trafficked or laundered into the country from Hong Kong by Sabah timber trader Michael Chia four years ago in August 2008.

There is even greater incredulity when the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who publicly cleared the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Michael Chia of any offence of corruption over the RM40 million scandal, went on to proclaim that there was nothing wrong with his son being provided with a a luxurious Hummer SUV, which retails at over RM459,000, by Chia, showing utter contempt for serious conflict-of-interest issues.

Recently, the Swiss-based NGO Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) issued a ground-breaking and explosive report which estimated the assets of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Taib Mahmud’s family at US$21 billion (RM64 billion), with the wealth of Taib himself put at a whopping US$15 billion (RM46 billion) but there has been no response or action from the MACC to the BMF expose of Taib Mahmud’s unusual and extraordinary wealth in his three decades as Sarawak Chief Minister.

If there is a AES making unusual and extraordinary wealth an automatic corruption offence, there would have been immediate anti-corruption actions in both these Sabah and Sarawak cases, and Malaysia would have embarked on the road to clean and good governance where there is zero tolerance for corruption with people in positions of power and authority instilled with “a natural abhorrence to corruption”.

Is Najib prepared to introduce the AES in fighting corruption by introducing legislation to make it an automatic corruption offence for any public officer to have unusual or extraordinary wealth, as maintaining a standard of living or in control of pecuniary resources or property disproportionate and incommensurate with his official emolument, unless there is satisfactory explanation for such unusual and extraordinary wealth?

(Speech at Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat in Seremban on Saturday, 3rd November 2012 at 10 pm)

  1. #1 by Godfather on Sunday, 4 November 2012 - 10:08 am

    There won’t be enough jails for these criminals.

  2. #2 by tak tahan on Sunday, 4 November 2012 - 10:53 am

    Please consider zoos as well for these baboons.And also the remote areas of Rambutan tree where they could find their own species-cintanegara alike.Should be enough space for all of them.Everything solved,kau tim already lor.

  3. #3 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 4 November 2012 - 12:23 pm

    AES is supposed to curb traffic offences. Wouldn’t the next idea (after AES) be privatization of Police Force Functions & Services- all in the name of addressing crime surge if IPCMC cannot be implemented? The idea of privatization of 20% of police services (20%) has already been mooted in UK (to reduce budget) and has been shelved for time being in face of Unions’ protest. Monkeys see Monkey do whenever there is Money making opportunities! There’s money to be made to procuring systems, uniforms, weapons, cars etc for police; criminal offenders also can make reparations, pay fines, 50% of their loot to reduce sentence/punishment. The favourite Crony can be appointed IGP. Such a privatised police corporation (with one’s cronies as orginal promoters) sure to make money (like AES).It can raise money from the market whether financiers or investors, from borrowings or issuance of bonds and debt papers and can even go public listing…Present public clamour for accountability of police function can be realised to regular monitoring of Bursa Malaysia and its listing guidelines and rules.

  4. #4 by jus legitimum on Sunday, 4 November 2012 - 12:25 pm

    Nowadays people are boiling mad at the countless issues of big corruption involving the leaders of the Umno/BN government.They now realize the whole nation has been impoverished and severely affected by rampant corruption caused by those in power.They know the only solution to this problem is ‘UBAH’.

  5. #5 by boh-liao on Monday, 5 November 2012 - 12:15 am

    WHO owns d Automatic ENRICHMENT System?
    Y d UmnoB/BN gomen outsourced it 2 the LUCKY FEW 2 ensure guaranteed HUGE eazi income?

  6. #6 by TheWrathOfGrapes on Monday, 5 November 2012 - 9:36 am

    Automatic Extortion Scheme

  7. #7 by SENGLANG on Monday, 5 November 2012 - 1:52 pm

    QUOTE” “The police would operate speed trap cameras while the new system would be operated by the Road Transport Department JPJ ” Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop picture said during Question Time in Parliament today. ” UNQUOTE

    Can you imagine what has just been reported. Horror of the horror. So Malaysia has lot of money anyway? What is mean was one trap is not enough the Malaysian motorist need two traps to catch them. Even 007 can’t escape.

    They want the money anyway to feed the cronies.

    The ministers are simply hopeless……hopeless……

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