Archive for category Corruption
Hanif’s “40% senior cops corrupt” allegation – Cabinet should apologise for disregarding it and make amends tomorrow
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Police on Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Nanyang Sian Pau’s report with the headline “Hanif, Produce Proof — Musa’s comment on allegation that 40% of senior police officers corrupt” is the only newspaper to give some prominence to the serious allegation by the country’s longest-serving and most famous former Inspector General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar that 40% of senior police officers could be arrested for corruption without further investigations strictly on the basis of their lifestyles.
It has taken the IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan more than a week to respond to Hanif’s serious allegation, and it was a most anaemic, perfunctory and unimpressive response totally lacking in credibility — that the public should lodge reports if they have information on corrupt cops and that he would take action to investigate to determine the truth.
The failure of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and IGP to respond seriously to the unprecedented allegation of police corruption by a pillar of the establishment like Tun Hanif in his Sunday Star column on August 12 that 40% of senior police officers could be arrested for corruption without further investigations strictly on the basis of their lifestyles is eloquent testimony that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s anti-corruption campaign has completely run out of steam and is a dismal failure.
What Hanif exposed was not about individual cases of corruption but systemic corruption of the police force and the public service. Read the rest of this entry »
RM4.6b PKFZ scandal:Why Pak Lah breaking another pledge – no mega bailouts?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Good Governance, Transport on Tuesday, 14 August 2007
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that he would ask the Transport Minister, Datuk Chan Kong Choy to explain why concerns by Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) addressed to Chan over the progress of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) were not entertained.
This was his response to the Sun’s front-page report yesterday that Jafza pulled out of the PKFZ deal because of political interference, bureaucracy and breaches of the management agreement signed between Jafza and the Port Klang Authority (PKA).
Jafza executive chairman Sultan Ahmad Sulayem and its senior vice president (international operations) Chuck Heath wrote to Chan on March 11 and May 29 last year respectively but received no replies.
Chan must not only explain his role in the pull-out of Zafza from PKFZ, the Transport Minister must publicly explain and account for the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal, now leading to a RM4.6 billion government bail-out of the project when the originally RM1.1 billion PKFZ had started as a “feasible and self-financing” project which would not require a single sen of public funds.
Yesterday, when addressing some 1,200 delegates including ministers, menteris besar and chief ministers attending the National Asset and Facility Management Convention, Abdullah said action should be taken against those in the public sector who were responsible for maintaining public buildings when public buildings fall apart.
Let Abdullah start off this culture of responsibility with the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal, and bring to book all public officials, from Cabinet level downwards, who were responsible for the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal — or is this going to be a repeat of a bigger RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Finance Scandal more than 20 years ago of “a heinous crime without criminals”?
If Chan as Transport Minister must bear full responsibility for the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal, then an example must be made with his resignation or removal from Cabinet — as otherwise, all the talk about public accountability and responsibility under the Abdullah administration are just hot air without credibility.
In this case of the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal, Abdullah himself must explain why he is breaking another pledge when he became Prime Minister of no mega-billion-ringgit bailouts. Read the rest of this entry »
ACA – why not even one out of 1,400 senior police officers who could be nabbed for corruption in past three years?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Police on Tuesday, 14 August 2007
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should table the Sunday Star article of the country’s most famous Inspector-General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar, “The Fence that Eats the Rice” excoriating the underperformance and failures of the three “vital institutions” of the state, the police, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.
In his column, Hanif said he had briefed the Police Royal Commission, of which he was Deputy Chairman, “that police corruption was so extensive that a very senior ACA officer had confided in me and another top retired police officer that 40% of the senior officers could be arrested without further investigations — strictly on the basis of their lifestyles”.
He wrote:
One state police chief had a net worth of RM18mil. My friend and I had watched the force getting deeper and deeper into the morass of corruption.
It was the daily talk and the butt of gibes on the golf courses that embarrassed retired police officers no end; yet even we were stunned by this revelation and its implication. Would the force we had served for so long and which had given us so much experience and such great pride for what we had built it into, be destroyed in the expected ACA action?
I could not help telling the ACA officer that he really had his work cut out for him and that his fight against corruption was the most important fight facing the country but I hoped that he could effectively stamp out this corruption without destroying our PDRM which had done such yeomen service to the nation.
Hanif’s fear that the PDRM would suffer great damage in a campaign to “effectively stamp out corruption” has proved to be completely misplaced, as the culture of impunity for the corrupt among the high and mighty continued to reign supreme and there was not a single one of the 1,400 senior police officers “who could be arrested without further investigation strictly based on the basis of their lifestyles” who had been arrested and prosecuted since the publication of the Royal Police Commission Report in May 2005.
The Royal Police Commission reported that the PDRM had an establishment of 90,256 police personnel in 2004, and there would be a total of 3,502 senior police officers for all ranks above the inspector, viz:
IGP 1
DIG 1
CP 6
DCP 18
SAC I 27
SAC II 56
ACP 148
SUPT 376
DSP 792
ASP 2,077
Total 3,502
If “40% of the senior officers could be arrested without further investigations — strictly on the basis of their lifestyles”, we are talking about a staggering figure of 1,400 out of the 3,502 senior police officers from the rank of Assistant Superintendent to Inspector-General of Police. Read the rest of this entry »
Demonisation of Wee Meng Chee dampening national mood for 50th Merdeka anniversary
Posted by Kit in Corruption, nation building on Monday, 13 August 2007
The extreme over-reaction and concentrated attacks by UMNO Ministers and leaders against Wee Meng Chee for the “Negarakuku” rap video-clip should immediately end before further dampening and damaging the national mood for 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations.
There were many among Chinese-speaking Malaysians, including youths, who did not agree with some of his rough language and irreverent expressions when they saw Meng Chee’s rap for the first time, although his articulation of the ordinary rakyat’s dissatisfactions and frustrations at police corruption, civil service bureaucracy, discrimination against Chinese education and insensitivity of the authorities struck a deep chord and found great resonance.
However, when Meng Chee became the target of a systematic attack of Umno and media demonisation, with one UMNO Minister after another including the Education Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister jumping on the bandwagon to paint as an ogre and “traitor” as if he single-handedly threatens the very fabric, stability and integrity of plural Malaysia, there is full rally of support for Meng Chee for nobody buys the canard that Meng Chee was unpatriotic, disloyal, anti-national, anti-Islam, anti-Malay or was attempting to be seditious to incite hatred and ill-will between the races or religions.
I just did a search on youtube where the Negarakuku rap had been put up by dozens of various people although Meng Chee had removed it on his website. There had been over 1.2 million access on the youtube, with the top two sites registering 768,231 and 164,849 visits respectively.
Is anybody suggesting that the overwhelming majority of the Malaysian visitors of youtube for the Negarakuku rap are unpatriotic and seditious in wanting to incite inter-racial and inter-religious ill-will and hatred in our country?
If so, then there is nothing to celebrate the 50th Merdeka anniversary as the nation would have failed dismally in the five decades of nation-building.
In fact, Meng Chee’s rap was his expression of his patriotism and love for the country, to make it a better country for all Malaysians.
Meng Chee may be faulted for his rough language or irreverent expressions but these cannot be equated with being unpatriotic, disloyal or seditious. Read the rest of this entry »
Hanif’s “pagar makan padi” indictment – 50th Merdeka anniversary only meaningful if IPCMC announced before August 31
Posted by Kit in Corruption, globalisation, Police on Monday, 13 August 2007
The verdict is now in 27 months after the Royal Police Commission Report in May 2005 to create an incorruptible, efficient, professional and world-class police service to reduce crime, eradicate corruption and respect human rights — a police force which is not only more rotten than before Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became Prime Minister, but with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers equally tarnished for “Harap Pagar, Pagar Makan Padi”!
This harsh judgment was not made by Opposition leaders and NGO critics of government, but by a venerable pillar of the establishment, the former and longest-serving Inspector-General of Police and Deputy Chairman of the Royal Police Commission, Tun Hanif Omar in his Sunday Star column with a title which is an indictment on all the three “vital institutions” — “THE FENCE THAT EATS THE RICE”!
Hanif’s article is even more condemnatory of the rot in the police force than the Royal Police Commission report when everyone should be singing praises for a reformed police after the implementation of the Commission’s 125 recommendations to create an incorruptible, efficient and professional world-class police service.
Instead this is what Hanif wrote yesterday:
I briefed the Royal Commission that police corruption was so extensive that a very senior ACA officer had confided in me and another top retired police officer that 40% of the senior officers could be arrested without further investigations — strictly on the basis of their lifestyles. One state police chief had a net worth of RM18mil. My friend and I had watched the force getting deeper and deeper into the morass of corruption. ..
“I could not help telling the ACA officer that he really had his work cut out for him and that his fight against corruption was the most important fight facing the country but I hoped that he could effectively stamp out this corruption without destroying our PDRM which had done such yeomen service to the nation.
But what has the police to show in the follow-up to the Royal Police Commission Report?
Hanif lamented that although the Police Royal Commission Report was made public two-and-a-quarter years ago, “yet PDRM has still not burnished its image”.
He wrote: Read the rest of this entry »
National Integrity Plan an abysmal failure – public hearings in JB, Malacca, Ipoh, Alor Setar
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Monday, 6 August 2007
I have received public inquiries as to whether the second series of public hearings of the Parliamentary Select Committee of Integrity will be held in Johor Baru and Malacca on Wednesday (8th August) and Thursday (9th August) respectively.
As many seems to be in the dark, I want to publicly confirm that the second series of the public hearings of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity will be held in Johor Baru, Malacca, Ipoh and Alor Star this week and next on the following dates and venues:
- Johor Baru – August 8 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Tun Razak, Dewan Undangan Negeri Johor, Johor Bharu) - Malacca – August 9 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Tun Mutahir, Dewan Undangan Negeri Melaka, Melaka) - Ipoh – August 15 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Negeri, Dewan Undangan Negeri Perak, Ipoh) - Alor Setar – August 16 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Dewan Undangan Negeri Kedah, Alor Setar, Kedah)
The announcement of these public hearings is also available at the parliamentary website, http://www.parlimen.gov.my/, inviting organizations, associations and individuals to the public hearings to give their views and proposals on integrity, in particular the National Integrity Plan.
This is an opportunity for Malaysians to express their views on the betterment of the nation on grave issues of integrity, corruption, abuses of power and lack of good governance, particularly on the occasion of the 50th Merdeka anniversary, which should not be missed. Organisations and individuals from Negri Sembilan who wish to appear before the Select Committee should make it to the JB or Malacca public hearing as it is unlikely that there would be a separate public hearing date for the state. Read the rest of this entry »
2nd series of public hearings of PSCI – Malaysians can pass judgment on “All-Clean Verdicts”
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Friday, 3 August 2007
It is a strange phenomenon. With the “All-Clean Verdict” pronounced by the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail for the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, the Deputy Internal Security Minister, Datuk Johari Baharum and the former Anti-Corruption Agency Director-General, Datuk Zulkipli Mat Noor, the country should be suffused by the aroma of cleanliness and integrity that three top officers of the land accused of corruption have been proved clean and pure.
The perfume of cleanliness and integrity from the “All-Clean Verdict” should be blowing all over the country and be the high-water mark of the Abdullah premiership which had started some four years ago with the promise to make eradication of corruption and the promotion of integrity its top priority — especially as it has nothing else to show on this score, after the escape of the 18 “big fishes” into the South China Sea.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. More questions have been raised instead about national integrity confined not just to the independence, professionalism and credibility of the “All-Clean Verdicts” and their investigations, but the very independence, impartiality and professionalism of the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the police.
This is why in the first week of Parliament beginning on August 27, I will be asking the Prime Minister to explain why the Attorney-General’s “All-Clean Verdict” for Musa, Johari and Zulkipli on corruption allegations have raised more questions about the government’s commitment to “zero tolerance for corruption” and whether he will introduce legislation to have an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) and an independent ACA.
The Malaysian public will have an opportunity to give their views about this strange phenomenon as well as to pass judgment on the National Integrity Plan in the second series of public hearings of Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity in four states this month, viz
Johor Baru – August 8 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Tun Razak, Dewan Undangan Negeri Johor, Johor Bharu)
Malacca – August 9 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Tun Mutahir, Dewan Undangan Negeri Melaka, Melaka)
Ipoh – August 15 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Negeri, Dewan Undangan Negeri Perak, Ipoh)
Alor Setar – August 16 – 10 am
(Bilik Gerakan Dewan Undangan Negeri Kedah, Alor Setar, Kedah)
Read the rest of this entry »
Wanted – White Paper on “All-Clean Verdict” for Musa, Zulkipli and Johari
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Thursday, 2 August 2007
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should present a White Paper giving a full report exonerating the Deputy Internal Security Minister, Datuk Seri Johari Baharum, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor as the first step of the government’s national integrity policy of “zero tolerance for corruption”.
Although Abdullah expressed relief on Saturday that both Musa and Zulkipli had been cleared of corruption by the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, he also made two remarks which were not in keeping with his pledge to lead a clean, incorruptible, open, accountable and transparent administration, viz:
- That these corruption allegations should no longer be debated following the closure of investigations by the Attorney-General;
- His retort when pressed for details of the investigation reports: “Don’t ask me about the contents of the investigations. That is not my job.”
As Prime Minister, Abdullah should realize that the final responsibility of a clean and incorruptible administration rests with him and not with the Attorney-General, and he has the duty and responsibility to satisfy himself about the integrity and incorruptibility of Musa and Zulkipli in view of the critically important posts they were entrusted with.
Gani has ordered the ACA to close their investigations into Musa and Zulkipli. Was this at Gani’s own behest or was it on the directive of the Prime Minister, who would have been informed beforehand that the Attorney-General would be publicly clearing Musa and Zulkipli of corruption. Read the rest of this entry »
RM27m cop, RM34m cop and corruption allegations against top cops – Is IGP Musa prepared for independent inquiry?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Police on Friday, 27 July 2007
Today’s New Straits Times report “ACA probes cop with RM27m assets” has refocused public attention on corruption in the police force and raised the question whether the Royal Police Commission’s three key recommendations that the nation should have an efficient and professional world-class police service to reduce crime, eradicate corruption and respect human rights have made any appreciable progress in the past two years.
According to the NST, a senior police officer at Bukit Aman is being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) for abuse of power and failing to declare RM27 million worth of assets.
It is understood that the officer is also a company director and the RM27 million fortune was amassed illegally.
The NST report said:
Sources familiar with the case said ACA officers from Putrajaya took a statement from the officer at his office yesterday.
“The officer, who is in his 50s, is a director of a company which was awarded a project in April to develop an area in Lahad Datu,” a source said.
“Several villagers voiced their opposition to the project when the company staff went to the area to do surveying work.
“The police officer allegedly ordered the villagers to be arrested,” the source added.
The ACA started its investigation following an anonymous telephone call about two weeks ago.
Malaysians are reminded of the Royal Police Commission report on police corruption:
“The public believes that police personnel are vulnerable and this encourages the public to offer bribes in order to avoid any inconvenience, legal action or paying heavier fines.”
The public are also reminded of the case of the “RM34 million” senior police officer mentioned in the Royal Police Commission Report, which said:
“A retired police officer alleged that corruption was rampant within PDRM. He claimed that many officers had assets several times over their known income. According to the complainant, it was common knowledge that a particular senior officer made an asset declaration amounting to RM34 million and he was surprised that no action was seen to have been taken.” (p. 278)
Anti-corruption record in tatters – top leaders caught in maze of corruption allegations
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament, Police on Wednesday, 11 July 2007
At the monthly assembly of the staff of ministries and agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department on July 2, 2007, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the surprise announcement of the extension of the term of service of Tan Sri Musa Hassan as Inspector-General of Police to enable Musa to “continue with his crime-fighting agenda”. Musa is to retire on Sept. 13, 2007.
Such an announcement was most unprecedented for many reasons and the circumstances indicate that it was more a statement of intent on the Prime Minister’s part than a statement of fact in that all the due process of such an extension had been completed, including conveying the decision to the Conference of Rulers which will only meet later this month.
The very fact that no one knows for how long Musa’s term as IGP had been extended although it is more than a week after Abdullah’s surprise announcement lends support to the view that the Prime Minister’s statement was one of intent rather than of fact about Musa’s extension as IGP.
The question is why was it necessary for Abdullah to act in so uncharacteristic a fashion in “jumping the gun” to rush such an announcement of his intent to extend Musa’s term as IGP when there are more than two months to go before the expiry of the tenure, and when the practice is to make the announcement of such top-level appointments or their extensions at the last minute.
There are even cases where high offices are left vacant for months like the office of Chief Judge of Malaya, which had remained vacant for more than six months, raising the question whether the country is facing a constitutional crisis in filling top judicial posts.
Was Abdullah forced to announce his intent to extend the tenure of Musa as IGP when it only expires on Sept. 16 to fob off mounting pressures against the extension of Musa’s service, and if so, what are these pressures and reasons for them?
The most critical question which calls for Abdullah’s explanation is the reason for the double standards in extending Tan Sri Musa Hassan’s tenure as Inspector-General of Police while refusing to extend Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor’s term as Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general when serious corruption allegations against both remained outstanding and unresolved?
Deputy Internal Security Minister, Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum told Parliament during question time yesterday that “the Internal Security Ministry had lodged a report with the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) on the allegations of corruption involving Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan” about a RM2.1 million bribe to release a group of gangsters. Read the rest of this entry »
Message of PM’s “I don’t know” confession – NIP fallen to bottom of his agenda
Posted by Kit in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Corruption on Monday, 9 July 2007
The shocking message of the “I don’t know” confession of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ten days after serious and specific allegations have been made against a senior Umno Cabinet Minister and a 632-page memorandum submitted to him is that his national integrity plan has fallen to the bottom of his agenda.
On June 29, the Chairman of the Movement for Democracy and Anti-Corruption (Gerak) Ezam Mohd Nor submitted a 632-page document containing allegations of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation involving a senior cabinet minister, including police reports against the minister made by a chief executive officer of a public listed company in 1998, statements by the Malaysian Companies Commission, and receipts and invoices for millions of ringgit.
Ezam had said that there are several cases against this senior Umno Minister but one is clear, that he used a public company’s funds amounting to RM30 million to settle his personal debts.
Abdullah said yesterday: “I was informed about the memorandum and I will study it.” Asked who was the minister alleged to be corrupt, Abdullah said: “I don’t know”.
Is it credible that a Prime Minister who is serious about his pledge and commitment to make anti-corruption his top priority can allow ten days to pass without bothering to find out who was the senior UMNO Cabinet Minister alleged to be corrupt in the 632-page memorandum which had been submitted to him or that he had not directed his officers to prepare and read a gist of the allegations?
Or is Abdullah going to read the entire 632-page memorandum himself?
If Abdullah needs to take ten days to state publicly that he is aware that the memorandum had been submitted to him in his office, how long would he take to read it and how long more would he need to announce what he proposes to do about it? Read the rest of this entry »
Najib to “check” on corruption allegations against IGP – what next?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Police on Sunday, 1 July 2007
The statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday that he was not aware of the postings on a website on allegations of corruption and involvement with underworld figures against the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan and top police officers and that he would “check” strains credulity to the utmost.
This is because these allegations against Musa and other top police officers have been made almost a month ago, the first article appearing on June 3 and the second article on June 9, 2007.
It appeared on a known website, Malaysia-Today news portal and by an identified writer, Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his series “The Corridor of Power” — unlike the earlier Internet allegations of RM5.5 million corruption accusing the Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum for releasing three men held under the Emergency Ordinance which appeared on anonymous websites three months ago.
Furthermore, on June 19, I had sought to adjourn Dewan Rakyat to have an urgent parliamentary debate on the serious corruption allegations against both Johari and Musa, and although my motion was rejected by the Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah as not “urgent”, is it conceivable that the Deputy Prime Minister continued to be unaware or uninterested about the serious corruption allegations against the Inspector-General of Police? Read the rest of this entry »
Cabinet Committee on Integrity – what is it doing to turn back tide of corruption in Malaysia?
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Friday, 29 June 2007
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is both right and wrong when he said that it is unfair to say the government is not serious in fighting corruption simply because Tan Sri Eric Chia has been acquitted.
He said yesterday that one should not judge the government’s earnestness in fighting graft based on a single case such as that of the former managing director of Perwaja Steel Sdn. Bhd who was acquitted of criminal breach of trust charges involving RM76.4 million on Tuesday.
Najib is right that normally the government record whether in its battle against corruption or any other policy matter should not be judged on the basis of one case, except that the Eric Chia corruption trial bulked large as it was hailed as the most high-profile evidence of the Abdullah administration’s resolve to launch a crackdown on corruption.
As the most high-profile anti-corruption case that had been thrown out of court, especially after the failure to nab the 18 “big fishes” which the Abdullah administration had earlier promised to arrest and prosecute for corruption, Najib should realise that the Eric Chia case has assumed the epic proportion of the test case of the Abdullah premiership to “walk the talk” to fight corruption.
The circumstances of Eric Chia’s acquittal — where the defence was not called because the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case — was a most ignominous reflection on the government’s will to fight corruption as well as the professionalism of the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patial and his prosecutors.
As the Attorney-General is appealing against Eria Chia’s acquittal, Malaysians will have to suspend judgment until outcome of the appeal.
However, Najib and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should realize why the government’s anti-corruption campaign is so intimately tied to the outcome of the Eric Chia case — as there has been no other higher profile case in the past 44 months.
In the last general election, the overwhelming majority of Malaysians believed that Abdullah is a new broom to sweep out corruption in Malaysia. Read the rest of this entry »
Nazri acting as Super-ACA and Super-AG to declare Johari innocent of RM5.5 million corruption allegations
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Friday, 22 June 2007
The “bohong” and “bodoh” outbursts of the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz in Parliament yesterday during question time on corruption in Malaysia (video clip here) was most shocking, but even more shocking should be his “day-dreaming” that Malaysia is in the “premier league” among the 50 countries with the least corruption in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2006 when it is actually in “Tier 3”.
What should be most shocking of all is his mental preparedness for Malaysia to plunge further in the TI CPI 2007 towards the 50th ranking on the occasion of Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka anniversary.
This is the Bernama report of what Nazri said during question-time yesterday:
Malaysia In The `Premier League’ Of CPI
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 (Bernama) — Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said although the preception on corruption in this country is considered to be unfavourable, Malaysia is still included in the `premier league’ comprising 50 countries with the least corruption.
“When we have reached (the group of) 50, how can we go up further? We are already in the premier league, it is not easy to improve,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat when responding to a question from Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (Keadilan-Permatang Pauh) who wanted to know the measures taken by the government in view of the decline in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for Malaysia prepared by Transparency International compared to countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore.
In the first place, Malaysia’s is not in the “premier league” of TI CPI 2006 — which can only be reserved for the Top Ten countries regarded as least corrupt, namely Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Australia and Netherlands.
Tier 2 will be the band of 20 countries led by Austria, Luxembourg.and United Kingdom ranked from No. 11 to No. 30 while Tier 3 for the countries, including Malaysia from No. 31 to 50 as Malaysia’s ranking is No. 44.
Secondly, Nazri appeared to be quite proud that Malaysia is ranked No. 44, even if lower so long as among the top 50 countries. Read the rest of this entry »
Abdullah leading a government in disarray
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Thursday, 21 June 2007
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz is guilty of the height of Ministerial irresponsibility in Parliament when he defended the Deputy Internal Security Minister, Datuk Johari Baharum from RM5.5 million corruption allegations while admitting that he knew nothing about the outcome of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) investigations which have been sumitted to the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patail.
I am shocked that Nazri could also turn Ministerial responsibility to Parliament “upside down” when he retorted to my query as to the Attorney-General’s decision on the ACA investigations into the RM5.5 million corruption allegations at Johari, by asking why he was being asked in Parliament about the Attorney-General and why I could not ask the question outside.
This is the first time in my experience in Parliament where a Cabinet Minister could be so brazen in his irresponsibility as to challenge an MP why he is posing a question to him on a matter which comes directly under his Ministerial and parliamentary responsibility and why he did not pose the question to the officer concerned outside the House.
This is a most deplorable precedent in the development of parliamentary democracy and accountability on the occasion of the nation commemorating 50th anniversary of nationhood. Read the rest of this entry »
First urgent motion knocked out — no debate on Internet allegations of top cop corruption
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament, Police on Tuesday, 19 June 2007
The Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah has rejected the first of my three urgent motions this week to get Parliament to be relevant and debate issues of grave public importance.
My first urgent motion to debate Internet allegations of top cop corruption was chucked out on the ground that it was not urgent, that the Anti-Corruption Agency was investigating, although it is not clear whether the Speaker was referring to the allegations against the Deputy Internal Security Minister, Datuk Johari Baharom or the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan.
The subject of my urgent motion was – serious allegations of corruption and abuses of power against Johari and Musa on the Internet by both named and anonymous websites, and the failure to take satisfactory action to protect government credibility, integrity and authority.
There was no explanation why there was prompt investigation in the case of the RM5.5 million “Freedom for Sale” allegations against the Deputy Internal Security Minister for releasing three men held under the Emergency Ordinance although it was from anonymous websites, but no sign of any investigation in the case of serious and specific corruption allegations against the Inspector-General of Police although made by a known Internet source — on the Malaysia-Today news portal by Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his series “The Corridor of Power”.
This is all the more regrettable as the former Inspector-General of Police, Tun Hanif Omar was reported in the Sun today, “Act if allegations untrue, says Hanif”, telling Musa to “take action if the allegations are untrue”. Read the rest of this entry »
University student intake – season for frus and despair
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Education on Tuesday, 19 June 2007
University intake for this year is out and its a season for frustration and despair at the injustices of the system.
I received the following sad letter from Clare:
I am writing to voice my dissatisfaction towards the Ministry of Higher Education who rejected my brother’s application into a local university.
When my brother told me that his application was “tidak berjaya”, I was very disappointed. Not that his result is bad, in fact, his result is very good compared to many other students (even better than mine). He got a CGPA of about 3.2 (I got 2.9 back then) and applied for ‘not-so-popular’ business-related courses and he was rejected.
I do not know what to tell my mum when she called to announce the result just now. My parents must be very disappointed, not with my brother, but with the higher education ministry. My brother has gone into exile because of that. I am not surprised if he has developed a mentality that the government is biased towards the handicapped (my brother is handicapped with cerebral palsy-as stated in one of the links in my post)
I do not know who else to turn to, Uncle Lim. Please advise.
Internet allegations of top-notch graft – notice for urgent motion
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament, Police on Sunday, 17 June 2007
15th June 2007
Yang di Pertua,
Dewan Rakyat,
Parlimen.
YB Tan Sri,
Notice under S.O. 18 — Serious allegations of corruption and abuses of power against Deputy Internal Security Minister, Inspector-General of Police and top police officers on the internet by both named and anonymous websites and the failure to take satisfactory action to protect government credibility, integrity and authority
This is to give notice under Standing Order 18(2) to move a motion of urgent, definite public importance for the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 as follows:
“That under Standing Order 18(1) the House gives leave to Ketua Pembangkang YB Lim Kit Siang to move a motion of urgent definite public importance, viz: serious allegations of corruption and abuses of power against Deputy Internal Security Minister, YB Johari Baharom (Kubang Pasu), Inspector-General of Police and other top police officers on the Internet by both named and anonymous websites, and the failure to take satisfactory action to protect government credibility, integrity and authority.
“Some 14 weeks ago Malaysians were shocked by news reports of RM5.5 million ‘Freedom for Sale’ allegations accusing the Deputy Internal Security Minister of releasing three men held under the Emergency Ordinance which appeared on an anonymous website with the heading: “Datuk Johari — The Most Powerful But Corrupted Deputy Minister”.
“Immediately, the IGP called for an ‘open and fair’ investigation into the allegations, declaring that the allegations cannot be dismissed as baseless, until the investigation was completed.
“However, although the Anti-Corruption Agency had completed its investigations into the RM5.5 million ‘Freedom for Sale’ allegations ‘shortly after’ the deputy minister was questioned by ACA officials on March 19 and that the investigation papers were in the hands of the prosecution division, and the Deputy Minister himself had repeatedly called for the outcome of the investigations to be made public, the country is still kept in the dark about the outcome of the ACA investigations.
“On June 3 and 9, 2007 the Malaysia-Today news portal carried two articles by Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his seires ‘The Corridor of Power’ on organized crime and the Police, alleging corruption and abuses power implicating the IGP and top police officers, including a RM2 million corruption allegation against the IGP. Read the rest of this entry »
Procrastinations over Johari/Zulkipli allegations – AG treating NIP as a joke
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Wednesday, 13 June 2007
The National Integrity Plan has become a joke with the three-month dilly-dallying in clearing or charging Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum over RM5.5 million corruption allegations when investigations had been completed in the past three months.
It was some 14 weeks ago that news reports of “Freedom for RM5m” (Star 3.3.07), “Pemimpin politik terima sogokan RM5j disiasat” (Utusan Malaysia 3.3.07) and “Probe on ‘VIP’ for Graft” (New Sunday Times 4.3.07) of the RM5.5 million “Freedom for Sale” allegations that Johari had released three men held under the Emergency Ordinance shocked Malaysians.
The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general, Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan, was reported by the New Straits Times of April 21, 2007 as saying that the ACA had completed its investigations into the RM5.5 million “Freedom for Sale” allegations “shortly after” the deputy minister was questioned by ACA officials on March 19 and that the investigation papers were in the hands of the prosecution division.
Yesterday, the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail said he was still looking into investigation papers on Johari and the former ACA director-general Datuk Seri Zulkipli Mat Noor, adding: “I have nothing else to say. I have to look at certain things more this afternoon.” (Sun)
This is totally unsatisfactory, unacceptable and intolerable, raising the question whether the Attorney-General is fully committed to the National Integrity Plan and has placed the upholding of national integrity particularly among the top government leadership as top priority in the agenda of the AG’s Chambers. Read the rest of this entry »
White Paper – corruption allegations on Johari Baharum and Zulkipli Mat Noor
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Monday, 11 June 2007
Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum has again called for the outcome of investigations into the “Freedom for Sale” allegations that he received RM5 million to release three men held under the Emergency Ordinance should be made public.
This is a most extraordinary situation as almost two months have passed since Johari first made a similar call.
The ACA director-general Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan had said previously when he was acting head of ACA that investigations on the graft allegations against Johari had been completed by the ACA shortly after the deputy minister was questioned by ACA officials on March 19 and that the investigation papers were in the hands of the prosecution division.
Why is there a three-month procrastination on Johari’s investigations, when ACA had completed their work as far back as March? Read the rest of this entry »
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