Why is there no public response from the Prime Minister and UMNO President, Datuk Seri Najib Razak when the UMNO Information Chief, Datuk Ahmad Maslan had publicly admitted that corruption is a grave problem in UMNO?
Ahmad Maslan made such an admission when commenting on UMNO Secretary-General Datuk Tengku Adnan Mansor’s statement in an earlier interview that UMNO faces the challenge of being perceived as corrupt, although Ahmad Maslan struck the ridiculous posture that no political party should take an “holier-than-thou” attitude on the issue of corruption.
Ahmad Maslan’s reason? That bribery happens across the board and allegations of corruption should not be made only against Umno.
He said: “Bribery does not differentiate between party, does not differentiate between gender, does not differentiate between races…
“Don’t just accuse bribery only (by) Umno’s people. This bribery transcends all…”
Ahmad Maslan, who is the deputy minister in the prime minister’s department, said the important thing is that the government is serious about tackling corruption.
As proof that the government is serious about eradicating bribery, Ahmad Maslan said fighting corruption is one of the government’s National Key Results Areas (NKRAs).
Ahmad Maslan’s remarks are most revealing, for corruption has become so prevalent in UMNO that he has stopped denying it, but is instead trying to justify it on the ground that corruption happens across the board affecting all political parties, and therefore UMNO should not be singled out for castigation.
Ahmad Maslan had in fact gone beyond admitting that corruption is prevalent in UMNO as he had as good as admitted the prevalence of corruption in the other Barisan Nasional component parties – which is fortified by the lack of any denial or repudiation of his admission by the other BN component parties in the past three days.
Ahmad Maslan can talk on behalf of UMNO and even the other BN component parties, but he has no authority or locus standi whatsoever to talk on behalf of the Pakatan Rakyat parties.
Malaysians know that if there is a whiff of corruption in the Pakatan Rakyat parties, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) would have pounced on it and leave no stone unturned to persecute and prosecute Pakatan Rakyat leaders – as happened in the scandal of the MACC’s “Car and Cows” investigation of Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim in early 2009 or the “mysterious” and unresolved death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock at MACC Headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.
In contrast, the MACC would go out of its way to help “cover up” corruption or any financial malpractices involving UMNO/BN leaders, as exemplified by the MACC’s inaction whether on the scandal of Sabah timber trader Michael Chia’s RM40 million laundered/trafficked currency-turned- “political donation to Sabah UMNO”, the Bruno Manser Foundation’s revelations of extraordinary wealth of the Sarawak Chief Minister or a whole list of high-profile cases involving UMNO/BN leaders.
Ahmad Maslan’s response to Tengku Adnan is a powerful admission of prevalent corruption in UMNO as well as in the other BN component parties.
The question is what is Najib going to do about it if he is serious and sincere about fighting corruption in his GTP and NKRAs.
Would be highlight it in his UMNO Presidential Speech at the end of the month?
Would he announce “fighting corruption in UMNO” as one of his new NKRAs in the war against corruption?
#1 by Bigjoe on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 3:15 pm
What is seldom discussed even by the oppositon when talking about corruption is not just the leakages BUT the inefficiency from corruption AND the opportunity lost.
I have made simple comparison of efficiencies and lost opportunity and I dare say that the size of the problem is EVEN BIGGER than the leakages..By my estimate the problem is at least 3X-4X bigger. So if we think there is corruption of say RM100b over 4/5 years in a BN govt. Then the inefficiency and opportunity lost is 3X-4X that.Over a decade or two the numbers are simply STAGGERING…
#2 by Winston on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 4:23 pm
That’s why newly constructed government buildings have ceilings falling down.
Or renovated buildings started leaking immediately after renovation.
Or roads that have been resurfaced are in a deplorable condition soon after the work was done.
All because of corruption!
When the contractor has to grease so many hands to get the job, his earnings will be very meagre and cutting corners is the way to go!!
Finally the following quote said it all:
“Tell me, which UMNO leader does not have problem?”
– end of quote
One thing is very certain and that is that our quality of life will certainly improve when the scums are booted out!!!!
#3 by Bunch of Suckers on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 6:03 pm
Are you asking the leader of the thieves to charge and punish her/his members’ same activities???? Daydream, man!!!!
#4 by Godfather on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 6:11 pm
Of course our friend Najib will make it his mission in life to fight corruption. Not only corruption in UMNO, but corruption everywhere. Najib will pound his fists on the lectern. He will shed tears. He will declare that corruption is a cancer that needs to be eradicated.
And all of UMNO will rise as one to give Najib a standing ovation.
#5 by Godfather on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 6:14 pm
And Rosie will weep the most and declare in Utusan that she will stand side by side with her husband in the fight against corruption.
#6 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 6:59 pm
Fight corruption in UMNO ?
The task falls to Oliver, who at the next meal tremblingly comes forward, bowl in hand, and makes his famous request: “Please, sir, I want some more.” – Oliver Twist.
#7 by monsterball on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 8:39 pm
Many top guns said the Govt in is very corrupted.
Forget what Najib promised to do.
As Umno b President…he.. like Mahathir must continue the “tradition”…encouraging corruptions.
Supposedly to strengthen the party…just watch the sons and brothers….own banks…huge corporations…became billionaires over night.
The heading….”Will Najib announce “fighting” corruption in Umno”….is a joke.
He acts….he will get it harder.
To each his own….and all are united…one common thing….how to win 13th GE..to stay our of corruption investigations.
13th GE will be the mother of all general elections.
Dictatorship overthrown…the last in South East Asia.
#8 by good coolie on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 9:24 pm
Bang, you are not in the government, so you can talk much (cakap besar) that you are clean. Next year, after you form the government, with all that gold gleaming in front of you, will you PKR fellows keep your hand from dipping into the till?
#9 by Cinapek on Thursday, 15 November 2012 - 9:40 pm
Teoh Beng Hock’s mysterious death says it all. All it takes is so much as a whiff of something wrong with PR and the MACC will be swarming all over them.
But when it involves the BN and UMNO such as the PKFZ, NFC, the Michael Chia RM40, the MACC see no evil, hear no evil and do nothing.
UMNO sees gratifications and dipping their grubby fingers into the people’s money as a right. To them it is not corruption. It is just rewards for their twisted mindset that they have done a lot for this country and that they should be rewarded accordingly.
#10 by Noble House on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 1:00 am
At least, there are being honest about it. PM Najib can announce “fighting corruption in UMNO” as one of his new NKRAs in the war against corruption and then Umno will come up with the exact opposite.
The adage that Powers corrupts; Absolute power corrupts absolutely couldn’t be more true as with Umno. Tun Tan Siew Sin started the Treasury with nothing, and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.
#11 by monsterball on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 4:20 am
To “Bang….”…when we are in the government and not better than present one…vote us out.
Do not presume anything that has not been done.
The present government is simple a band of robbers and thieves.
Open your eyes and see it.
#12 by yhsiew on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 8:41 am
The inaction by Umno on corruption merely sends the wrong signal that corruption is an acceptable way of life in Bolehland and there is nothing unusual about it.
#13 by dagen wanna "ABU" on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 9:06 am
To fight corruption in umno? And that would be as good as to cause the right fork of his “W” tongue to fight with the left fork.
#14 by Sallang on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 9:38 am
The meaning of the word,’corruption’ can be found in a dictionary.
However, has it ever cross our mind that, not every man in the streets can see, and understand ‘How’ was corruption being conducted.
Only the more educated people knows that corruption is more than just, a bribe.
For example,a bribe. To apply for a shop license, you have met every requirement by law.But the inspectors came and after checking, keep saying, ‘ini ada susah sikit lah’.You punya semua ok, tapi ada sikit susah lah!”
You need to fork out at least RM200, because 4 persons came, and semuanya OK.
A bribe is money for ‘minum kopi’, why opposition make so much fuss.
So the opposition need to explain in every way they can,in simple layman language,in Iban and Kadazan dialects, how BN, under UMNO, cheated the rakyat, by creating GLCs to siphon money from government coffers, by jacking up prices 10x when making purchases for government departments.
What is Khazanah Nasional, PNB, who owns what and how ministers’ children becomes millionaires.
Almost every business is owned by GLCs and BN cronies, yet we have ignorant people who still says, ‘aiyah! whoever wins also the same lah!’.
Do we have to start all over again? No way. I am passed 60, and I must admit that I was also ignorant then, only the last 4 years I started to read blogs, and I wish I have the stamina like saudara Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh who had fought on for so many years.
‘A Bow’ to them and all DAP veterans.
#15 by dagen wanna "ABU" on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 9:59 am
Crooks and criminals cant go on forever. And umno’s time is up!
#16 by waterfrontcoolie on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 1:01 pm
It is a real wonder that in the age of Facebook, Twitter etc, a leader of a nation can afford to spin tales that every child knows that it is been played like an old broken record. The issue is can this nation afford such leadership which is bent on serving only vested interests within a small group of members? We have leaders both political and Cronies who will buy PhDs to feel good. Just compare with the incoming PM of China, where no one knew that he has a doctorate in Economy. Here we have too many HOLLOW self-appointed leaders who have only ONE interest of usurping the power for their own benefits. To those who hold the majority of the votes as a community, they have to ask themselves, if they are going to be cheated of the rights to have a fair share of the national resources or just allow their self-appointed leaders to siphon out the cash!
#17 by monsterball on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 1:50 pm
At the PAS 58th assembly…Hadi Awang speech was full of fury and fire…all blown to Najib and Mahathir.
Let the Umno b Muslims judge…the angel speaking about the devils.
#18 by dagen wanna "ABU" on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 2:43 pm
To everyone else, corruption is a crime and a despicable act. Like all criminal activities, acts of corruption inevitably are executed stealthily.
But corruption in umno has taken on a totally different platform. From a plain criminal act, corruption has been transformed by umno into an umno culture. Corruption monies have been re-styled as “commissions” and the right to receive such commissions has even been legalised in the form of signed agreements (prepared by lawyers). Now it is worse. Many umno people are begining to see corruption as a right – a ketuanan right. A right the exercise of which is unquestionable.
So that is the difference, ahmad mazlan. The great diffence which, needless to say, someone who has become totally acclimatised to corruption either as a matter of custom or as a matter of right could neither see nor appreciate.
You see, a sharizat bte nobody would be in prison today. But the sharizat bte umno is not only far away from the prison doors, she also has supporters and symphatisers who openly supported her criminal acts.
#19 by sotong on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 5:33 pm
” Bribery does not differentiate between party, does not differentiate between gender, does not differentiate between races…”.
Nobody is disputing that….but the buck stops with the leader/s…if one is a real and true leader.
#20 by megaman on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 6:10 pm
Emperor shall be judged and punished the same as the peasant.
Same cane different people.
Regardless of your status and position, if you commit a crime, you will be punished. In fact, the higher your position, the more serious the impact of your crime i.e. if a man of position commits the same crime as a lowly commoner, he shall be accorded heavier punishment because he has disgraced the dignity of his position.
The more serious, the bigger the cane. This is a simple logical justice that everyone understands.
I believe DAP, PKR and PAS understand that the rakyat will not hesitate to wield the cane against them should they fail to deliver.
BUT, to wield the cane against BN, we must first strip them of the position and power they’ve enjoyed so far.
#21 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Friday, 16 November 2012 - 11:48 pm
Fight corruption? Hello, A zebra cannot change its stripes.
And hello again, how do you change the DNA of an animal like UMNO?
#22 by boh-liao on Saturday, 17 November 2012 - 1:21 am
人民起义, “推掉黑暗，走向光明”
D only way 2 k ill corruption by UmnoB/BN n 2 return $$$$ 2 rakyat is 2 kick out UmnoB/BN
Instead of announcing d GE13 date, he announced another round of jiak-pa-pa projects
#23 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 17 November 2012 - 1:44 am
“Bribery does not differentiate between party, does not differentiate between gender, does not differentiate between races” – yes but what differentiates is “power”. Over the years what has developed and sunkened deep roots (top down) is a culture of impunity, ie a situation in which people have come to believe that they can do whatever they want with impunity (which means without having to face any accountability or reprisals) if they have power, connected to power or enjoy complicity with power…This not only refers to corruption of bribery, cronyism or exploiting conflicts of interest in privatised projects like PKFZ, AES etc but also abuse of power in cases of custodial deaths (eg Kugan/TBH), victimisation (extortion/rape) of the weak especially vulnerable foreigners/maids or intimidation and politically motivated violence against those in Opposition, NGOs or critics of the political establishment. All these start from the top that could not by example and conduct show discipline, in absence of which, all the NKRAs will not help!
#24 by yhsiew on Saturday, 17 November 2012 - 7:24 am
A slick PM who lacks integrity.
#25 by Sallang on Saturday, 17 November 2012 - 8:53 am
Making an announcement and taking action are totally two different things.
He can announce in the UMNO assembly end of month, by saying, ‘After we win this election, we must seriously contain corruption.”
Will that make the rakyat or opposition happy?
Lets pay more attention to winning this election, and win with wide margin.
#26 by on cheng on Monday, 19 November 2012 - 3:49 pm
IF BN GOVT CAN REALLY FIGHT CORRUPTION, THEN THE MOON CAN BE RALLY BLUE !!
#27 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 21 November 2012 - 1:19 pm
NKRA = Najib Kautows Rosmah Accepts