Archive for June 15th, 2012

Call on MACC to re-open investigations why 18 “high-profile” cases had escaped corruption charges after the first 100 days of the Abdullah premiership and the hundreds of other “big fishes” who have escaped in past eight years

Despite increased budget, powers, manpower and resources than its predecessor, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is a great letdown as it has failed to be even a pale shadow of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) – failing to net a single “big fish” in its three-and-a-half years of operation.

The MACC continues to play politics to serve its political masters in the Barisan Nasional government, as for instance, its recent focus on re-opening old investigations into PKR leaders Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali.

I call on the MACC to re-open investigations why 18 “high profile” cases had escaped corruption charges after the first 100 days of the Abdullah premiership in February 2004 and the hundreds of other “big fishes” who have escaped the dragnet in the past eight years.

In February 2004, Tun Abdullah Badawi had marked his first 100 days as the fourth Prime Minister with two very high-profile corruption arrests – former Perwaja Steel managing director Tan Sri Eric Chia and the then Land and Co-operative Development Minister, Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam.
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Funds boost for BN MPs an act of desperation which says that Najib has lost out in the political argument

By Dr Chen Man Hin, DAP Life advisor

Anwar claims that Najib is scraping the bottom of the barrel in his desperation to give money to BN MPs to get support from the people. Actually the government coffers are already empty. The money he is now splashing round to the low income groups and to BN MPs who badgered for money are sourced from Petronas and EPF funds.

Predictions of the economy are bad. The GDP growth for first quarter is about 4% which is 2% lower than the expected 6%.

World economy is bad. The Eurozone countries are mired in debt. The China economy is slowing down. So Najib’s dreams of achieving a high income economy are dashed.

The World Bank has no praises for Najib’s economic reforms because he has not made structural reform. The Time magazine echoes the views of the World Bank.

Najib now has his back against the wall. His cronies can’t work up an ideology to boost party morale. The only way for Najib to win votes is to use government funds to hand out money to the people.
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