Malaysians at a crossroads between a rock and a hard place

In recent days, one issue after another has surfaced, driven by those secretly hoping Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will step down. 

These are veiled attacks, orchestrated either by individuals directly entangled in corruption—fearful that they may be next—or by those blindly following the noise, much like a herd of goats circling a bonfire, led into the ritual by their master (in cyber warfare, by the cybertroopers engaged by politicians with deep pockets) as demonstrated by this social experiment. 

In all fairness, no one can claim that any civil servant—or politician—is entirely free from corruption. Yet, it must be acknowledged that Azam Baki, as head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), has performed commendably in spearheading Anwar’s anti-corruption campaign. 

Even Anwar’s own political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar, was not spared from MACC’s investigations, demonstrating that no one is above scrutiny. After being charged alongside his accuser, Albert Tei, it is up to both to defend themselves before the judges. 

Unprecedented 

For the past 68 years since Merdeka, Malaysians have rarely witnessed senior politicians and top government officials being charged for corruption. 

Corruption was long recognised as a serious issue in Malaysia, but often dismissed as mere hearsay. Since Anwar assumed the premiership, however, and with the support of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim the King of Malaysia, Azam’s leadership has brought numerous cases to court—an achievement that cannot be denied.

His name may suggest his determination to clean up Malaysia of corruption. After all, Azam means being “determined” to carry on his cleaning up, something which Malaysians have for many years wanted to see. 

Let things take the course. It may be that justice will eventually prevail but it should surprise us that his contributions towards fighting corruption may put him in a better position to receive royal clemency. Until then, we can only look back to the past and be thankful that we have made much progress as a nation in our fight against corruption. With that, Azam should carry out the mandate given to him. 

Few senior MACC officers in the past had the courage to pursue the highest-ranking figures in the army or two most senior former politicians and their cronies. Under Azam’s watch, the government has even managed to recover billions of Ringgit in stolen funds. 

Credit must be given where it is due: Azam has accomplished what others before him could not. Perhaps this was made possible by the backing of Malaysia’s two most powerful offices—the current Agong and the Prime Minister.

It is also clear that Azam draws strength from the silent support of ordinary Malaysians, who have long stood on the sidelines, hoping for change. They see in him a savvy leader who rose through the ranks these past four decades to his current position, and who now dares to confront corruption at its highest levels.

Corporate Mafia - Fact or Myth?

The sudden “hysteria” over Malaysia’s so‑called Corporate Mafia has left certain politicians in an oddly precarious light. 

Their feigned surprise is almost theatrical—pretending ignorance of something the common man has long whispered about. After all, such shadowy figures exist everywhere; only the powerful act as though they have just stumbled upon the secret, and suddenly they spring into action with their theatrics, when in truth, the secret has always been hiding in plain sight.

Meanwhile, if you care to observe, some individuals are particularly vocal when it comes to controversies. While they thrive on these controversies, when it came to personal relationships or working as a team, they falter. It is doubtful that Malaysians want the crab culture to continue on to deprive us of progress that we have seen in other countries.

Malaysians have to choose between leaders who want a plural society to thrive as we see being promoted by Tourism Malaysia on its advertisements on billboards or ultra-religious political groups seeking to take over Putrajaya with the help of a past corrupt regime.