I welcome the Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin’s visit to the Gelang Patah constituency tomorrow.

I call on him to address the “political earthquake” in Johor and to give a comprehensive statement on what anti-corruption initiatives the Johor State Government has taken following the MACC arrest of six persons, including the son and a special officer of a senior State Exco Member over multi-billion ringgit corruption in land transactions in the state.

Last Friday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized 21 luxury cars, five high performance bikes and RM500,000 in cash, as well as frozen 45 accounts with over RM15.5 million in them, in a case involving bribery and abuses linked to real-estate in Johor.

Six individuals, including Ahmad Fauzan Hatim Abd Latif, the eldest son of Johor Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Abd Latif Bandi and his special officer Muhammad Idzuan Jamalludin, were arrested.

According to Bernama, Khaled’s reaction to the MACC arrests and seizures was that it was premature to decide whether his administration would conduct internal investigations as the State Government was waiting for investigations by the MACC.

Khaled would have been informed well in advance by the MACC of its investigations to massive real-estate corruption in Johor and intention to arrest the six persons involved, involving the son and special officer of a senior Exco member who is the Housing and Local Government Committee Chairman.

Khaled should know that inaction is no option for a responsible Johore state government committed to integrity, good governance and the eradication of corruption.

Whether the MACC charges against the six can succeed in securing conviction in court is separate from the issue as to what the State Government is doing to tighten up rules and procedures to ensure that such corrupt malpractices cannot take place.

All Johorians and Malaysians expect Khaled to be pro-active in the fight against corruption and this is why in his visit to Gelang Patah constituency tomorrow, he should announce a comprehensive set of anti-corruption initiatives not only to ensure that corruption in real-estate transactions could not recur, but even more important, to take a wider scope of ensuring that Johor will become one of the top states in terms of integrity and incorruptibility of the public service.

This the least Khalid can do bearing in mind that the first and fourth UMNO Presidents hailed from Johor and have created a reputation for themselves in standing up for integrity and battle against corruption – Datuk Onn Jaafar and his son, Tun Hussein Onn!