Just as no one expects that the proposal of the Umno disciplinary board chairman Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithaudeen to abolish the Umno wings – Wanita, Youth, Puteri and Putera – to end the scourge of money politics in Umno would be taken seriously by any Umno leader, nobody believes that it is possible to eradicate corruption in the country’s most corrupt institution, Umno, because of the sheer absence of such political will.
Sure enough Rithaudeen’s proposal encountered immediate objection yesterday from the Umno top-guns, like Umno vice president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Umno Wanita leader Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and Puteri Umno leader Datuk Noraini Ahmad with the de facto Umno President and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak delivering the coup de grace when he said today that Umno will not abolish any of its wings as they are important in nurturing future leaders of the party.
If Rithaudeen is right – and he is right – that the many elections for the Umno Youth, Wanita, Puteri and Putera wings created opportunities for money-making, all that Najib meant about “nurturing future leaders of the party” is to give them opportunities to be adept in the art of corruption in Umno party elections.
No wonder Umno has the notoriety as the most corrupt institution in the country and Rithaudeen is totally helpless to check money politics, to the extent that he has to concoct a totally unacceptable analogy to justify the Umno disciplinary board’s failure to hand over all cases of Umno money politics to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
New Straits Times reported Rithaudeen’s attempt to differentiate the powers and jurisdictions of the MACC and the Umno disciplinary board, as follows:
Rithauddeen differentiated the powers and jurisdictions of the MACC and the board, after Umno asked the commission last July to help it arrest rampant vote-buying in the party.
He used the analogy of a doctor who operated on a patient while drunk.
“Under criminal law, the doctor can be charged with negligence if the patient dies. The deceased’s relatives can also sue for damages under civil law and, finally, the Malaysian Medical Council can also take action against him by stripping him of the ability to practise.
“This is the same with Umno members caught for money politics. They can be charged under criminal law for corruption and sentenced to prison or fined.
“At the same time, the board will also take action against them by suspending their membership,” Rithauddeen said.
Investigations by the MACC and the board will be done separately by each body and any sharing of information will be done on a case-by-case basis, he said.
“The MACC has its own investigations and we have our own investigations. We do not get involved with the MACC.”
Rithaudeen should realize that his analogy is erroneous, fallacious and highly dangerous – just as it is wrong for him to suggest that the charge of criminal negligence in the case of a doctor who operated while drunk resulting in death could be avoided by refusing or failing to report the crime to the proper authorities.
Similarly, Rithaudeen and the members of the Umno disciplinary board could be violating the law and committing crimes themselves if they withhold from the MACC any case of Umno money politics – which MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan had said categoricaly as “corruption” in Sunday Times interview (January 25, 2009) –by not reporting every crime of corruption to the authorities.
Rithaudden’s sense of despair and futility in the impossible battle against corruption and money politics in Umno caused him to make the radical proposal to abolish the various Umno wings.
When will an honest and upright Umno leader make the next logical proposal – that UMNO be abolished altogether as there is no political will whatsoever to eradicate corruption in the country’s most corrupt institution?
#1 by OrangRojak on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 3:56 pm
When will an honest and upright Umno leader make the next logical proposal …
I think an honest and logical person would just leave.
#2 by Mr Smith on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 4:06 pm
What happened to the report made by Mazlan Idris and Datuk Kadar Shah against the UMNO president and his deputy.
Corruption is the life-blood of UMNO. Remove corruption UMNO dies.
It’s surprising. Every top UMNO leader speaks against corruption when he himself is corrupted to the core.
#3 by mata_kucing on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 4:23 pm
It’s not the wings that need to be abolished. It’s all the old corrupt bunch who have made themselves millionaires living on the people’s hard-earned money that need to be removed. The wings are just sycophants who copy their seniors in the party and who wait for crumbs from the table, hoping that one day they will also be seated at the main table. I say throw the whole rotten bunch out.
#4 by chengho on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 4:32 pm
The problem of UMNO today is their leader do not follow the pragmatism of LKS , LKY and TUN M. PakLah ploy with liberalism that he cannot control.
LKS ,KY and TUN M knew when to karate chop whenever necessary.
#5 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 4:41 pm
YB Kit,
MACC comissioner said that MACC had not received over 900 complaints of corruption submitted to UMNO’s displinary board (“Board”) chaired by Tan Sri Tengku Ahmad Rithauddeen Ismail (“Rithauddeen”).
Then it is very simple.
You should just tell the MACC’s commissioner that MACC is duty bound under the MACC Act to request and require the Board/ Rithauddeen to hand over to MACC the 900 complaints of corruption/monet politics received by the Board.
Under the MACC every person including the Board/ Rithauddeen required by MACC to provide/give information on any subject which it is duty of MACC to enquire into and which is within the Board/ Rithauddeen power to give (eg 900 complaints of corruption), shall be legally bound to provide/give such information (ie 900 complaints of corruption) to the MACC, and failure to comply with MACC’s request/demand for the 900 complaints of corruption in execution of the MACC’s duty/functions would constitute an offence under the MACC on the part of the Board/Rithauddeen. (See sections 47 & 48 of MACC).
No matter how ingenious Rithauddeen’s analogy or disanalogy “of a doctor who operated on a patient while drunk”, it provides the Board/ Rithauddeen NO defence under the MACC! :)
#6 by Yee Siew Wah on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 4:48 pm
The whole bunch of top politicians are corrupted and greedy.
The party should be dissolved completely. No two ways about it. It has rotten to the core. If no done, the talented and young malays will never be able to have the apportunity to run the country.
#7 by cintanegara on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:24 pm
It’s none of DAP’s business to interfere and be too busy body in other party’s matters As an alternative., DAP must focus on handling NEPOTISM issues within its party. ‘Somebody’ must be extremely lucky to hold such a high position in DAP/state government because he is the son of ‘somebody’…..
#8 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:27 pm
MACC don’t be afraid to demand for 900 complaints of corruption/money politics. It is your duty to do so. According to Malaysiakini’s report filed Jan 29, 09 2:49pm by Hafiz Yatim., MACC officers are very fierce.
I will break up the report caption ‘MACC officers punched and kicked me’ in 2 postings.
(Quote) “While the dust has yet to settle on the Kugan Ananthan case, another allegation of abuse under detention has emerged.
This time around, it is not the police but rather the newly-formed Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). And the complainant is an Umno Maran division committee member.
In his police report filed at the Damansara police station yesterday, Halimi Kamaruzzaman, 46, claimed that he was assaulted during his four-day remand in Kuantan.
He alleged that three MACC officers, including the head of a unit, had punched him in the head, stomach and shoulder. He also claimed that he was kicked in the ribs and knee.
“I was also forced to strip naked, lie and roll on the floor. An officer choked me against the wall. They threatened me that my wife would also be arrested and be asked to strip if I did not agree to make a confession that I handed money to Umno members,” he alleged.
“I had to do squats, sing Negaraku and the Umno song many times and the officer threatened to burn my private part with a cigarette,” he said.
According to him, the MACC officers wanted him to confess that Umno supreme council member Norza Zakaria was involved in money politics.
Norza is a close associate of Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who is also Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son-in-law.
‘Just like Abu Gharib’
#9 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:30 pm
”Halimi’s ordeal started when he surrendered to the MACC Temerloh at about 6.30am on Jan 23.
There he was interrogated by five officers until 10am and was later taken to the MACC Pahang headquarters in Kuantan.
The Umno member claimed that throughout the alleged abuse, the closed circuit television camera placed in the room had been disconnected.
Describing his experience as similar to what Abu Gharib detainees faced in Iraq, Halimi claimed that he had informed a magistrate the next day about the alleged abuse.
He said the magistrate advised him to lodge a report with the Public Complaints Bureau upon his release.
Despite the alleged abuse, Halimi said he refused to confess and implicate Norza.
Contacted later, MACC director of investigations Mohd Shukri Abdull said the commission would allow the police to investigate the matter and declined to elaborate.
Norza, when contacted, said he was not aware of the police report and said he could not comment further as he was under investigation.
It has been widely reported that MACC is investigating the allegations of money politics involving an Umno man aspiring to be elected to the party’s supreme council.
This led to the politician coming forward to have his statement recorded by the commission and scores of other arrested in Temerloh and Kuantan”
(unquote)
What’s happening?
#10 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:34 pm
YB,
At the way things are going – if IPCMC is stillborn – I think you better move for an amendment to the Evidence Act to make inadmissible in court any kind of confession, whether freely given or given under duress/coercion…. :)
#11 by hiro on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:35 pm
Cintanegara, once upon a time, DAP had difficulty recruiting people. Guess who were those who stayed and fought on when the cause seems hopeless. You? Those who are up there? If it is pure nepotism, sure by all means DAP needs to do some soul searching and practise what it preaches. Otherwise, if they are all competent and well liked leaders, really, I don’t mind.
As to UMNO, corruption will go away when there’s no longer any incentive to serve in the party. There’s only one way to put an end to corruption in UMNO – either MPs cross over and let Pakatan take over federal government, or let Pakatan beat UMNO in the next general elections.
I don’t know why some Malaysians are still reluctant to give Pakatan a try. Sure they are green between the ears, and are susceptible to misteps, but surely that’s better than letting a grand old institution fester on and on with no reprieve for ordinary Malaysian folks.
Just imagine- the government says they will consider lowering corporate tax. Haven’t they learnt anything from Obama election? Feed the middle class, not the companies. What the company saves don’t go to the people because companies and their shareholders are by nature greedy and selfish, and they will still retrench employees. To help the middle class tide through this difficult times, they have to cut taxes for the middle class and below.
I say we need a new set of brains to run this government. I’ve really had enough of Syed Hamid of late, especially – there is no one more erratic and inhuman as this man. It’s hard to imagine he once headed our international relations. No wonder the world respects us less now than before.
#12 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:39 pm
Aiyo, we are not just living in corrupt state but also gangster state. Better move for a change of law, the Evidence Act, in Parliament. If this can be done to an Umno Maran division committee member, it can be done to anyone else :)
#13 by ktteokt on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:41 pm
UMNO is built on corruption – removing it will cause UMNO to crumble to bits and pieces!
#14 by zak_hammaad on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 5:46 pm
Abolish UMNO? Now there’s food for thought. How can UMNO be abolished when there is not real viable alternative? We can’t abolish one coalition so that another coalition (i.e. Pakatan) can continue where UMNO left off, albeit in the opposite direction. Both coalitions have shown how dirty they can get in order to get their own way.
Concern for the rakyat goes out of the window as they struggle to gain supremacy over each other.
#15 by Godfather on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 6:10 pm
Would thieves disband when they can steal willy-nilly?
#16 by Godfather on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 6:22 pm
The allegations by Halimi against the MACC show only one thing – that the MACC, like the PDRM, are organs of UMNO to serve the leadership of the party. All of us criticise UMNO at our own peril. Only cintanegara will get his PJK.
#17 by dapsupporter8888 on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 6:23 pm
I just have one thing to say… I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE UMNO IN TOPSY TURVY! Gambateh!
#18 by Justitia on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 7:52 pm
YB,
“If Rithaudeen is right – and he is right – that the many elections for the Umno Youth, Wanita, Puteri and Putera wings created opportunities for money-making, all that Najib meant about “nurturing future leaders of the party” is to give them opportunities to be adept in the art of corruption in Umno party elections.”
I loved it. How true!!! One needs practice to learn the system.
#19 by monsterball on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 7:59 pm
Rithauddeen said……”UMNO is corrupted to the core”
I guess he found out…the new leaves and branches of the UMNO is the root cause of corruptions…not from bottom to top…but from top of a tree to bottom…to the old roots.
But had he said about corruptions 30 years ago in UMNO…..he will know the main root and trunk of the tree {mamak}..was spreading corruptions…to all directions.
Sure all top guns will not agree with Rithauddeen.
By agreeing will mean all crooks have confessed.
The greatest hypocritical show in Malaysia must go on.
#20 by vsp on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 8:20 pm
The most dangerous animals in Bolehland come from the madhouse known as UMNO. These animals are very ferocious and greedy. They not only eat up what belong to other creatures but they also gored their own kind.
In UMNO the animals are getting stupider by the day. They are just like the dinosaurs which will attack any living creatures because they think they are enormous in size; and they also consumed a lot that they depleted their own source of food. The UMNOputra animals in Bolehland will ultimately died out because their vital source of life, i.e. corruption will choke them to death.
#21 by PSM on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 8:40 pm
UMNO is full of corrupted, racists, murderers, & the list goes on & on. They are in turn supported by retards like zak_hammaad & cintanegara (what more can you say?). In turn they are protected by the licenced murderers (i.e. PDRM).
Never mind, Allah (oh dear, since I am a Christian I can’t use the word Allah can I?) is watching. The next GE will see the demise of UMNO & its lap dogs (i.e. MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP).
#22 by negarawan on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 8:46 pm
You can see a pattern developing. Those who are opposing Rithaudeen’s proposal are the ones who are benefitting the most from UMNO money politics and blatant corruption.
#23 by waterfrontcoolie on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 9:54 pm
chenhho., your comparison of the three names is laughable. TDM had really taken many gullible Malaysians all the way to Zimbabwe! With his declaration of being ignorant of all the corruptions taking place, you think he is telling the truth in spite of the Plus agreement and the IPPs he forced the gomen servants to sign? I thought there is only one Mathias Chang around. There are still many around, so it seems!
As a matter of fact, his regime was the begining of open-air money politics in this country. It would be interesting to know as to why AAB dared not open all those agreements for Malaysians to see??
#24 by Thor on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 11:00 pm
Seems that no one in Umno is in favour of Rithaudeen’s proposal to abolish its wing as to eliminate corruption.
This proved that Umno is not interested in changing its habit.
On second thought, why not consider joining PKR instead, Tan Sri Tengku!
#25 by cemerlang on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 11:19 pm
Some people think that corruption is okay as long as part of that corruption money goes into fulfilling their wishes. In a way, they make sense because everyone is a sinner no matter how one … God and thinks that He does not know. This is an imperfect world and nothing is fair. Corruption is the same as being unfair. At the end of the day, a person needs to check himself and if he still thinks that corruption is wrong and he does not practise it, and others have his thoughts and his practises, then corruption will be minimised if not totally gone forever from our lives. It is between him and God, him and his principles, him and his way of thoughts. If God is dead in his life and he does not have any principles and he still thinks that corruption is okay, then corruption is here to stay. We talk about a win win situation. What do we actually mean by that ? It could mean you have that money and I have that money too. It all comes back to the very inner self of a person. Only what is in the very inner self of a person will determine if corruption has to die or if corruption will continue to live on. We have to be realistic. Not all of us have that heavenly feel good thing in us.
#26 by Loh on Thursday, 29 January 2009 - 11:32 pm
///If Rithaudeen is right – and he is right – that the many elections for the Umno Youth, Wanita, Puteri and Putera wings created opportunities for money-making, all that Najib meant about “nurturing future leaders of the party” is to give them opportunities to be adept in the art of corruption in Umno party elections.///–KIT
The way UMNO undertakes its party election is similar to the way they have been practicing in general election at the state and federal level. At party election, UMNO leaders canvass for support through offering direct benefits to voter, just like when UMNO canvass for support at generation by promising unfair advantages to Malay voters over other citizens. It might be argued that there are non-UMNO members in every constituency, but UMNO needed only to gain a majority votes in sufficient number of constituencies to be in power. UMNO has perfected the art of making a political party operate like a gangster organization. UMNO uses its majority in the number of parliamentary seats as weapon to do as it pleases without regard to the provision of the constitution, or respect for justice and fairness. UMNO negates on its promise to other component parties in government considering it capable of forming the government by itself, and that other political parties were decoration to project the image that the government comprises of ministers of other races.
UMNO leaders have demonstrated that winning election at UMNO elections has been the greatest qualification for entitlement to wealth and power, whether they were made ministers or not. Thus, UMNO members who have the probability to make it in the elections would leave no stone unturned to improve their chances of climbing the political ladder within the party. Money might be the most convenient means to gather votes, but other transactions and influence trading can never be eliminated. Obviously, money-making opportunities are not limited to cash transactions on immediate transfer, but through other means which could be cashed on including government projects when public funds are utilised. Consequently, unless government projects are on public tenders so that private deals could not be ensured, they facilitated money politics in UMNO election.
It is a fact that negotiated tender was only initiated when TDM took over as PM. He announced it first as a means to achieve efficiency when the RM 400 million Dayabumi contract near the old Kuala Lumpur railway station was awarded without public tender. That was subsequently followed by awarding contracts to Malays of his choice or tacit approval to make them millionaires. He infamously declared that if he could make one Malay millionaire, he would have succeeded in implementing NEP. The negotiated contracts allowed TDM to choose whichever Malay he wanted to make millionaire/billionaire. Though through the AP system alone, Rafidah Aziz had made many Malay multi-millionaires, no doubt with TDM’s approval. So NEP had been used specifically by TDM to make Malays millionaires, and quite obviously, those TDM-made millionaires must have been useful to him politically, as supporters. To be useful to the higher echelon leaders, the lesser UMNO leaders cannot be blamed for positioning themselves accordingly, and money spent on campaigning is investment. Malaysians should at least be proud that UMNO leaders at least have realised that they need to invest in order to harvest.
Money politics in UMNO election is just an extension of corruption which is rampant in government. Money politics will not end in UMNO if corruption is not arrested in government. Corruption will not end if NEP provides the excuse.
g
UMNO has been transformed from a political party into a gangster-like organization. It should be outlawed because the race-based objective serves to promote division of the citizens by race. It works against unity of citizens in the country.
#27 by mifadzil on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 12:03 am
Abolish UMNO for the sake of Islam. PAS is coming to rescue and provide credible alternative. Pakatan Rakyat should be given the chance by Malaysian. UMNO has damaged the good image of Muslims by naturing corruption and unethical cultures to Malays.
#28 by jus legitimum on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 12:34 am
Now we should tell that stupid botak the demons that have ruined and damaged the country badly are from his corrupted and incorrigible party.This devilish organisation is the mother of all evils.Corruption,racism,murder and all sorts of unethical practices.This is the party run by past and current leaders who hypocritically condemn corruption but they themselves are the most corrupted.They are the greatest hypocrites and munafik of Malaysia.
#29 by sirrganass on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 12:40 am
“Abolish UMNO for the sake of Islam. PAS is coming to rescue and provide credible alternative. Pakatan Rakyat should be given the chance by Malaysian. UMNO has damaged the good image of Muslims by naturing corruption and unethical cultures to Malays.”
By the way, //”Never mind, Allah (oh dear, since I am a Christian I can’t use the word Allah can I?) is watching. The next GE will see the demise of UMNO & its lap dogs (i.e. MCA, MIC, Gerakan, PPP).”//
Pity you, PSM! Christians are supposed to share the same GOD with ISLAM but somehow the way we interpret ALLAH is not so similar…
But still, ALLAH, whatever your interpretation is, sees and will act accordingly to all the injustice and malpractices; believe me!
#30 by Taxidriver on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 7:50 am
UMNO-DULU, KINI DAN SELAMA 4 TAHUN LAGI. SELEPAS ITU PERGI MAMPOILAH
#31 by raven77 on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 8:31 am
This country will only see hope with the complete demise of this party that has misery to so many……
#32 by Godfather on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 9:02 am
Oh no ! How is cintanegara going to collect his RM200 per posting on opposition blogs ?
#33 by HJ Angus on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 9:42 am
Let’s be realistic.
UMNO is not going to simply disappear without a fight.
After 50 years they have learned many tricks to stay in power and only the voters can send them into retirement.
I suggest PR parties work harder to secure the federal government in the next round.
http://malaysiawatch4.blogspot.com/2009/01/malaysiakini-and-corruption-in-umno-how.html
#34 by taiking on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 10:12 am
You see by having umno alone there are simply are enough lucrative seats to go round for the 2mil members. The only way to solve the problem is by creating wings – little offshoots from the main umno body. When umno youth and wanita umno became incapable of meeting the demand, puteris and puteras were created. Now we can hear cries for more. The next step would be umno boys and umno girls. And umno babies is also in the pipeline. So guys dont be surprise to hear addresses like Dato Seri Boy Ahmad Badawi, president of umno boy and Dato Seri Girl Fatimah Badawi, president of umno girl and Dato Seri Baby Siti Badawi, president umno baby.
Psst. I hear there are suggestions to set up umno kucing and umno keris.
Rithaudeen, you masih tengah tidur kah?
#35 by Bigjoe on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 10:17 am
No doubt, the dissolution of UMNO would be good thing for Malays and Malaysian. But that alone would not rid the problem that is associated with UMNO. Its now more than the organisation, its a culture, a web of complex relationships institutionalised. Abolishing UMNO would not get rid of that. Mahathir got rid of UMNO and a worst animal came out of it…
It takes more, much more…
#36 by shamshul anuar on Friday, 30 January 2009 - 11:25 pm
Dear Taiking,
I fail to see your rationale. Not that you have one jugding from your below mediocre remarks.
I see nothing wrong in having Puteri UMNO just like PAS with An Nisa wing for young ladies. Puteri UMNO is just a platform to attract young ladies, many of them are not that comfortable with more motherly and professional figure in Wanita UMNO.
I am sure you are aware about that. If you want to attract say young Chinese ladies into DAP, surely it is proper to have some young Chinese ladies as cente of influence. If not these young people will feel awkward in seas of “mothers”.
I mean no disrespect to 40s something ladies. It is just reality. Recruit them young for your party survival. In fact, PAS has long infiltrated universities even in Egypt, condemning UMNO leaders to hell and teaching Malay students doing medicine in AlMansurah to hate the govt of the day and not be grateful for help from “federal Govt”.