Malaysia is facing its worst crisis of confidence over its anti-corruption agency, but the person who should be most concerned, the Prime Minister under whom the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) directly comes under, is blissfully indifferent and unconcerned.

Its coming to two weeks since academician Edmund Terence Gomez resigned as a member of MACC Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel in protest against MACC’s failure to act on the conflict-of-interest allegations against the MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki but the Prime Minister has not said a single word of Azam-gate, the latest scandal of scandal-ridden Malaysia.

Azam-gate has new scandals of own, including:

· The MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board clearing Azam of the conflict-of-interest allegations when it had no such powers under the MACC Act 2009 and without any investigation, but solely on Azam’s statement of denial;

· The revelation by four Opposition MPs on the Parliamentary Special Select Committee for Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department that a meeting of the SSC to summon Azam on the conflict-of-interest allegations must first get approval from the Executive, making nonsense of the important doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s silence on Azam-gate is most ominous when he is at the same time destroying the doctrine of separation of powers among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.

PAS has come to the defence of Azam Baki, saying that the latter’s “tell-all” press conference on the conflict-of-interest allegation should put matters to rest.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department is the PAS MP for Kuala Krai, Abdul Latiff bin Abdul Rahman.

Is it as a result of the directives from his party PAS and the Prime Minister which is the reason why the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department has not met or summoned Azam Baki to appear before the SSC to clear himself of the conflict-of-interest allegation?

For how long is Ismail Sabri going to keep his silence on the Azam-gate?

(Media Statement by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 8th January 2022)