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Uphold integrity/fight corruption – Abdullah risks being compared unfavourably with Mahathir

When Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became Prime Minister in October 2003, he promised many things to the people of Malaysia, asking the people to “work with him and not work for him” — towards the objective of a clean, incorruptible, efficient, trustworthy, democratic, just, people-oriented administration which is prepared to hear the truth from the citizenry.

In less than four years, Abdullah’s report card on his many pledges is quite a blank. Even more serious, it runs danger of being compared unfavourably with the 22-year Mahathir administration even on the key planks of upholding integrity and fighting corruption.

I will give three examples.

(1) For the past ten days, the country has been revolted by the exposes of the 2006 Auditor-General’s Report about the pervasive corruption, criminal breach of trust and mismanagement of public funds running into tens of millions, hundreds of millions and even billions of ringgit.

I remember that in the early years of the Mahathir premiership, there was a similar public revulsion when the Report of the then Auditor-General, Tan Sri Ahmad Nordin exposed the notorious “Instant Mee” scandal, where the Defence Ministry paid RM4.90 per packet when the average market price was only 14 sen a packet.

A quarter of a century later, nothing seemed to have changed — things have in fact got worse. The “Instant Mee” scandal was a rip-off of taxpayers’ monies with the government paying some 350 per cent of the market price, but what we have in the 2006 Auditor-General’s Report is a rip-off by over 5,000 per cent in the case of the Youth and Culture Ministry paying RM5,700 for a car jack worth RM50!

(2) The Mahathir premiership started off with the RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal, which the former Prime Minister had admitted at the time was a “heinous crime without criminals”.

The Abdullah premiership is starting off with a bigger scandal and a greater “heinous crime without criminals” — the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Port (PKFZ) bailout scandal.

The government was promised that it would not have to cough up a single ringgit of public funds for the PKFZ project, as it was feasible, self-financing and in expert hands. But now, with RM4 billion now the drain, taxpayers are now required to bailout the project to the tune of RM4.6 billion — but without any accountability, transparency or responsibility!

(3) The 22-year Mahathir administration ended with Malaysia being ranked No. 37 on the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in 2003.

Although Abdullah promised in the National Integrity Plan which he launched in May 2004 to improve Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking to No. 30th position in 2008, the opposite has happened.

In three years, Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking has plunged to No. 44 in 2006, and there was not a single Barisan Nasional MP who dared to murmur dissent when I predicted at the recent meeting of Parliament that Malaysia’s TI CPI for 2007 would drop further, nearer to the 50th placing on the occasion of our 50th Merdeka anniversary.

Can Abdullah halt the slide in Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking, check the rot of rampant corruption in the system and begin to “walk the talk” of his pledges when he became the Prime Minister?

Abdullah won an unprecedented landslide victory in the 2004 general election winning 91 per cent of the parliamentary seats on his promise to be different from Mahathir, especially in upholding integrity and fighting corruption. Will the verdict of the Abdullah premiership be: “He promised to be different from his predecessor. But his administration was worse”?

(Speech at the DAP 50th Merdeka anniversary dinner at Pandamaran, Klang on Monday, 17th September 2007)

31 Replies to “Uphold integrity/fight corruption – Abdullah risks being compared unfavourably with Mahathir”

  2. “Abdullah won an unprecedented landslide victory in the 2004 general election winning 91 per cent of the parliamentary seats on his promise to be different from Mahathir, especially in upholding integrity and fighting corruption. Will the verdict of the Abdullah premiership be: “He promised to be different from his predecessor. But his administration was worse”?”

    This can be compared favorably with the African scam where the skunk promised you millions by cooking up some stories and those who believe him got ripped off. Likewise the sleepy head has cooked up some promises as a pull factor during the last election and after the landslide win, he got all of us cooked up.
    Fantastic 4th floor boys who are all very good cooks. Lets see what they are cooking up for the coming election.

    In three years, Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking has plunged to No. 44 in 2006, and there was not a single Barisan Nasional MP who dared to murmur dissent when I predicted at the recent meeting of Parliament that Malaysia’s TI CPI for 2007 would drop further, nearer to the 50th placing on the occasion of our 50th Merdeka anniversary.

    Why should the Barisan MPs murmur. Who will want to break such beautiful rice bowl, which can be filled up with delicacies by a snap of their fingers. Just look at how solid they stand to defend corruption even though it can lay bare for everybody to see. Wonderful guys and a close knit family insofar as corruption is concerned.
    The recent rip-off as reported by the AG was defended by the AP queen by telling it is a rip of by the supplier for excessive profiteering. She forget that by saying that it implies we have a bunch of fools in the government. Maybe she knows better.
    Do not forget that they are also trying to shift the blame on the general public especially the Chinese for promoting corruption as they like to give.

  3. the crutches thus proposed by senior Razak has not only contributed to the possible demise of an entire race after 40 odd years but also increased their global hypocricy ranking by several notches while the puppet-like PM drools over his new loves ( 0f sleeping and then more sleeps ).
    Today it is the survival of the dirtiest

  4. There’s someone telling rotten lies in the state of Malaysia
    http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=8293
    Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance has denied a newspaper report it is heading a group that will invest at least $1.4 billion in Islamic finance, property and energy projects in Malaysia.

    Malaysia’s New Straits Times reported last week that Qatar General Insurance, Gulf Petroleum Ltd Qatar and investment and banking firms from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates would invest in the Southeast Asian state.

  5. The biggest difference between Badawi and Mahathir is that Badawi knows there is little difference and insist there is whereas Dr. M never pretended. Either Badawi is delusional or he is lying. I am more convinced its actually the former although he probably think its the latter out of circumstances.

    “So long as the core is corrupt, there is no hope for the rest of the system”- Lee Kuan Yew..

  8. About “The Bus Story” I read & mentioned yesterday:-

    http://cpwaterman.blogspot.com/2007/09/why-did-he-cry.html

    I am seeing another picture of it:

    Bus driver = our country Malaysia
    Three thugs = you know who lah
    The man that tried to rescue = Malaysians who dare to raise their voice & seek change.
    The other passengers = Ignorant People who are so scared of the “keris” to want a change.

    Well looks like our bus is heading for that cliff, how can we wake up, shake up all our ignorant people? Are we too late?

    Waterman
    Paris.

  9. I don’t think there’s any difference between Mahathir’s adminstration and Abdullah’s adminstration. NEP is still there. Racial and religious divide is getting worse. And of course, corruption is rampant.

    The only difference is, Abdullah seems to be holier and righteous than Mahathir while he sleeps whereas his predecessor does not.

  11. Present premier is so far carrying on, in terms of policies, in same way as previous premier, there being no radical or substantial change in terms of NEP, Islamisation and politics of patronage, and the plundering the country’s resources has remained unabated (though beneficiaries have changed), there being only one major difference – compared to predecessor, the present tolerates more democratic and public dissent. Examples, the blogs rubbish him, Ministers & family members; the mainstream media (NST & Sun) are more critical of bureaucratic abuses than previously; even Opposition Head was invited to sit in various parliamentary committees including on Integrity (discounting their inefficacy) and the IPCMC, in watered down form may still be instituted. An expression of this was the release of Anwar Ibrahim from prison and the reversal of his conviction on sodomy charges – so that he could actually lead PKR against UMNO – is another significant difference that made the Americans happier (besides the moderate Islam Hadari), which would have ensured present premier a Photo Op without resorting to the paid services of a Jewish intermediary/lobbyist! Whether one views present premier someone weak who cannot push through reforms or a hypocrite or pretender, the fact remains he has however set public benchmarks of integrity openly and unabashedly against which bureaucratic acts or omissions can be measured and publicly censured or criticized.

    There are however two major caveats that may be raised against present premier’s ‘pluses’. First, the more democratic and open culture due to voices of dissent expressed through to the medium of the Internet may be something that the administration cannot stifle even if it had wanted to, which makes the point of about its alleged tolerance unprovable especially against the backdrop of its launching, (besides Cybertroopers if true as alleged by RPK) of ‘Radio 24’ last month, which may be construed as an attempt to serve as a propaganda counterpoint to allegations on the Internet. Secondly, in reference to the “benchmarking” standards of integrity, what good is there – and if there were any good – would it not be negated by the lack of political will to uphold these standards by allowing ministers or officials who flagrantly deviate from these standards get scot-free unpunished? When benchmarks set are not enforced (due to lack of political will) will not this encourage more blatant and flagrant disregard of the same in the future? That is the question.

  14. From mamak shop ,barber shop,no star to 5 star coffee houses Everyone is talking about how corrupted goverment servents are ,From land office staff right up to the staff of the prime ministers department.

    Everyone wants a share,But the only people who are blind to all this are people in BN AND ACA,Because they are like the 3 monkeys, SEE NO EVIL,HEAR NO EVIL,SPEAK NO EVIL ,Because all this Evil are theirs in the making,Now they are not only lying to themself but to us rakyat.How much of this shit must you guys take before you open youe eyes.

  15. The SAGA has been around for many-many-many-many years.
    All they did was change the accessories or “baju” to dress up the cars. How many “BLIND” people have surported that car????

    In the same way, when new promise has been made……….wah… VOTE FOR A CHANGE.

  17. “Can Abdullah halt the slide in Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking, check the rot of rampant corruption in the system and begin to “walk the talk” of his pledges when he became the Prime Minister?”

    Are you kiddin’?

  18. “A quarter of a century later, nothing seemed to have changed – things have in fact got worse. The “Instant Mee” scandal was a rip-off of taxpayers’ monies with the government paying some 350 per cent of the market price, but what we have in the 2006 Auditor-General’s Report is a rip-off by over 5,000 per cent in the case of the Youth and Culture Ministry paying RM5,700 for a car jack worth RM50!”

    >>>>that is the result from handsome kickbacks required from the ‘panel supplies’

  19. THE LENGTH OF TIME BARISAN NASIONAL IN POWER (50YEARS) has provided much room for corruption to grow to CANCEROUS LEVEL….. if the ruling government booted out by rakyat, more hurtful truth would be exposed… What we see and hear today is just the tip of an iceberg…

  22. To the rakyat, Pak Lah is utterly useless and hopeless. Only he does not believe he is one.
    But to the ministers, deputies, well connected, he is the best. Simple: All of them are having field days walloping and swallowing every thing in sight.
    One day when Pak Lah wakes up from his beauty sleep, bye-bye Malaysia!!!

  26. Malaysians generally are still living in complacency, not prepare for the future challenges that lie ahead. PM appears to be very cool, doesnt seem to have a clear vision for the country, only talk about pertanian and corridors and spend, spend and spend more. How many billions allocation for development will end up in corruption nobody knows and no measures to reduce red tapes especially involve such huge sum of taxpayers’ money. Corruptions and mismanagements are so rampant nowadays where millions and billions being wasted every yr and no ones esp from the ruling coalition taken heed. Zero action taken against the culprits. Datuk Zakaria, Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum, Eric Chia all being let off the hook.

    Effect of globalization never clearly understood till todate. Politicians esp from the ruling party till todate still fanning racial issues and choose to ignore major issue like globalization and how the government prepare its citizens for the challenges ahead and if really a great war waiting to happen in the Middle East as predicted by the French government, crude oil price certainly going to breeze pass usd100 per barrel. When our neighboring countries like Vietnam, Thailand, China, Indonesia etc (forget about Spore, Korea, Taiwan already gone ahead) strengthening their competitive edge and stepping ahead of us, we are still arguing back home who should deserve what privileges, how many billions lost to the cronies etc. Do the foreign investors really care whether you have northern and southern corridor if you cant even reduce bureaucratic red tapes that affect their production, guarantee safety of their goods during transportation, good incentive and low corporate tax rate etc? Northern and Southern corridor basically just buildings, buildings, and more buildings. What we seriously need now is a major revamp of the whole system to ensure transparency, accountability and integrity in the relevant departments and the end product of this will be investors’ friendly policies which will edge over our competitors so that their will be willing to spend billions to help to develop this country rather than the other way round, we spend billions then beg them to invest here. If your policies and reputation are consistent and good, you don’t even have to beg them to come, people will be rushing in to approach you.

    Please Malaysia Government cant you understand this simple logic?!

    Cemerlang, Gemilang, Berbillion! Guess this is the current national motto to spend off billions of taxpayers’ hard earned money!

  29. It has been proven beyond any reasonable doubts that Dr M regime was corrupted to the core. Why give him the title of Tun? The whole cabinet of former PM should be sacked, asked to resign and sent to jail (collective responsibility). They have committed an unpardonable crime against the people of Msia and humanity. If the ACA itself is corrupted and not going after big fish but only ikan bilis, it is really free for all and the govt of the day and UNMO which hold the greatest political powers is but a big fraud and greatest liars of all times. What can the King and other sultans do? Just join the crowd and thus saying goes – the rich become richer and the poor become poorer!

  31. Disillusion best describe the corruption administration. It’s not too late to turn the table and GE is for us to give our DAPrepresentative in the dewan to speak up and fight corruption in the administration of AB.
    To all DAP candidates and opposition members, cheers! and win the 2008 election with flying colors in your respective dewan

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