On the way to Yong Peng from Kuala Lumpur tonight, I came across the news report that the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers will hold a course on avoiding corruption for parliamentarians next year.
The Pemandu director D Ravindran, who is in charge of the anti-corruption section of the National Key Results Areas (NKRA), is quoted as saying:
“The Government Transformation Plan 2.0 (GTP 2.0) has the commitment of both the MACC chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamad and the AG (Abdul Gani Patail), who will both be conducting the course for our lawmakers.
“So, for the first time, we are going to teach our parliamentarians what is right to take and what is not right to take.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the launching of the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index 2012, Ravindran said the course would include information on what constitutes corruption, and the codes of conduct and best practices to avoid it.
The MACC and the AG’s Chamber should not be barking up the wrong trees as they should know where the priorities in fighting corruption, especially grand corruption, should lie.
Let me tell MACC and the AG’s Chambers that the urgent priority in the battle against graft in Malaysia is for MACC and AG’s Chambers to conduct a course on corruption for the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers particularly Sarawak and Sabah as well as top government officers including the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patail himself, if Malaysia is serious in its war against “grand corruption”.
It would appear that many of these top political and government leaders do not know “what is right to take and what is not right to take”, which is why there are so many allegations of abuses of power, malpractices and even corruption against them which had not been responded fully and satisfactorily, whether it be the scandal of the RM40 million “political donation to Sabah UMNO” implicating the Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Aman or the extraordinary wealth and assets of the family of the Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Taib Mahmud amounting to RM64 billion after 30 years as Sarawak Chief Minister as alleged by the Bruno Manser Foundation recently.
Dare the MACC and AG’s Chambers conduct a course not only on avoiding corruption for the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers particularly from Sarawak and Sabah, and top government officials, but also on their responsibility to account fully and satisfactorily when serious corruption allegations are publicly made against them, including clearing their names and establishing their reputation in the courts of law?
(Speech at the DAP Yong Peng “Ubah” dinner in Yong Peng, Johore on Wednesday, 6th December 2012)
#1 by monsterball on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 3:14 am
Parliamentarians have no right to take anything.
What kind of a course is that??
#2 by yhsiew on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 4:00 am
As the Chinese saying goes: 上梁不正下梁歪 – If the top beam is not in its correct position, the bottom beam will not be okay. In other words, if the seniors are not right, they will have a bad influence on their juniors.
#3 by SENGLANG on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 6:59 am
Sometimes you just do’t know want to laugh or cry when come to this kind of programme or courses. It is very laughable indeed. Common sense will tell what is right to take and what is no right to take. If you want to check corruption again what you need is enforce the laws that is common sense.
Two days ago a police road block was set up near the Batu Caves round about from Batu Caves leading to KL direction. My car was stop and the one of the police notice that the passenger next to me has not put on the seat belt. Next the other policeman who check on me ask me want to saman or not. I was puzzle but understand why he meant. I just say “SAMAN”. That is, if you was on the wrong side you will be saman and the policeman need not ask you need ask you “Nak Saman nak?” So they are on the take. The first kind of people is this group. Give them courses and teach them the sin of taking and asking bribe.
#4 by Bigjoe on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 8:39 am
BUT the problem is they can’t even do Math properly..
How is it our KVMRT is going to cost RM50b when its only 20% underground when those mostly or all underground cost not even half as much including in Singapore?
#5 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 8:53 am
Not knowing what is right and what is wrong is not the root of umno’s corruption problem. So it would be useless to tell them. The real problem is that somehow umno believes that they own the country; that the country belongs to them; and that they can therefore do what they want with it and take whatever they see. To them this is an absolute right and it comes naturally with ownership. That is why they could even take “Allah” and declare themselves “chosen ppl”.
#6 by drngsc on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 9:12 am
Ayooh, why more courses? Waste more money. Just catch a few big fishes, the bigger the better. Throw them in jail. That lesson will never be forgotten. Also save us more money.
Semua wayang kulit lah. They are trying to bluff us again.
Corruption is institutionalised. To rid corruption, we need to change the government. No amount of courses will do it. Change the government, we may have a chance.
We must change the tenant at Putrajaya. GE 13 is coming. Let us all work very very hard. We must not fail. Spread the message, one to one. First to GE 13, then to Putrajaya.
Change we must. Change we can. Change we will.
#7 by Cinapek on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 11:07 am
D Ravindran said:
“So, for the first time, we are going to teach our parliamentarians what is right to take and what is not right to take.”
I cannot believe this!!! Are we saying that the bunch of elected MPs do not know what is corruption?
This smacks of a cheap excuse for those who has been stealing billions from the rakyat.
And lest they try any more lame excuses, legally right does not make it morally right as has been seen in some recent cases where senior ministers split hairs by claiming they are not responsible or unaware of the actions of their family members in blatantly massive corruption cases. I find it hard to believe that a concientious minister would not ask a spouse where that spanking new luxury Mercedes parked in the porch came from or how the family managed to buy luxury condominiums from the income they have. Or ask the son how he managed to acquire a half a million ringgit Humvee that is clearly beyond his means.
#8 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 11:44 am
The rice has become congee. The process cannot be reversed.
Maybe the MACC and AG are trying to ‘educate’ the politicians so that they can corrupt and be corrupted the ‘legal’ way.
They will all be taught the loopholes to look for so that they can be smarter and get away with their loots e.g. like the ‘donations’.
#9 by cseng on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 12:13 pm
Hello!, for position in public office like PM, DPM, Minister, AG … you do not need MACC to confirm the corruption, to step down.The perception alone is suffice for you to step down.
MACC only determine you stay home or sleep in jail.
#10 by monsterball on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 3:07 pm
LKS tells MACC and AG to educate Najib and cabinet Ministers…starting from the top.
I cannot imagine commercial firms hiring anyone to teach the workers what to take and what not to take.
#11 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 4:02 pm
“So, for the first time, we are going to teach our parliamentarians what is right to take and what is not right to take.” D Ravindran
Wooohahahahahahahahaha !
Yehahahahahahahaha !
Is joke ya ?
He must be the clown of the year.
#12 by cseng on Thursday, 6 December 2012 - 4:38 pm
I am in dire need of viagra…. MACC pls give me some crash course on how to use them.