This will send chill up your spine if you do not change your ways

 

The arrest of three senior aides of a cabinet minister by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission should send a chill up the spine of those who think that they can get away with corruption.

While they are still “innocent” until proven guilty, I will elaborate three obvious points that I can see about the Unity Government led by Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim and his sincere efforts to eradicate corruption.

This most important Point No 1 which the Opposition and their supporters must realise is that Anwar will not tolerate corruption anymore. We must understand that he has fought against cronyism and nepotism for over two decades.

He himself served a whole jail term of five years for a case where he was found guilty of abusing his power; therefore, no one can ask for clemency in anything less than three quarter of the entire prison term.

The fact that the minister from the ruling coalition was also asked to provide his statement shows that Anwar also did not interfere with the investigation undertaken by the MACC.

If there is truth in the case involving the accused, imagine what would have become of the ministry led by a DAP minister, considering that this is only into the fifth month since the Unity Government was formed. Anwar should be commended for not interfering in the case.

Most, including supporters of Pakatan Harapan, have failed to understand the difference between intervening and interfering in a police or MACC case.

If, for example, a man is being prosecuted for being kind to his animals, or stealing a tin of Milo to feed his hungry children, society is largely at fault; there is a good reason for political intervention to ensure that justice is upheld.

         Laws are, after all, meant to punish the criminals, not discriminating against the poor and protecting the rich and powerful. I would like the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593) to be reformed so that under such special circumstances, the judges be allowed the discretion to either send the accused to jail or to carry out community services. Every effort should be made to help the offender to be rehabilitated instead of wasting away his life in jail.

Point 2: To many businessmen in this country, the MACC’s efforts are a great step ahead that will ensure a level playing field for all. We want every Malaysian business entrepreneur to be competitive and there should be no more room for corrupt politicians or their political aides to look for opportunities to make quick money.

This is contrary to Pas president Hadi Awang’s argument that bribery involves a willing giver and a willing receiver. The truth is that no business person is ever willing to pay a bribe. Bribery is forced – as it will determine whether you will get a government contract or not.   

Point 3: When a political party that used to be respected for its political struggle starts to become part of a ruling coalition, its leaders have to be more vigilant to ensure that they do not pick self-serving politicians to hold important positions.

When a party is in power, there is a proverbial saying that the crocodiles and the serpents will start crawling in. They will work their way up by becoming popular in their own parties, but when faced with an issue on the ground they would rather not rock the boat.

These politicians are mostly opportunists unlike their more principled predecessors within the same party such as the late Chen Man Hin and Karpal Singh.

With all these three points, I congratulate Anwar for his courage and vision for a better Malaysia. This is the wish of the rakyat of this country. Our voting pattern will reflect this long standing dream that we have been wishing to see materialising. It is like a prayer answered.

We, the rakyat, have had enough of the nonsense with self-serving politicians. To keep a clean image, all political parties including the DAP have to watch out and purge the potentially corrupt individuals within their own parties. Winning a party election does not necessarily mean a position of power guaranteed, but more responsibility to bring the party to greater heights.

In the next few months, MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki has promised that there will be more Big Fish in the dragnet. In a recent press interview, he has also credited Anwar for allowing the MACC to carry out its job without interfering.

We are truly grateful to Anwar for keeping to his word. With this, I believe the sentiments on the ground – except those who are now shivering in the corner – will be more upbeat now. We have a great task ahead to bring this country to become a shining example of how a nation is turned around.