The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has presented me with a dilemma – is the Election Integrity Pledge proposed by Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) worth signing when Najib could sign it with such aplomb, contempt and cynicism after his four-year premiership witnessed corruption in Malaysia plunging to its worst depths in the nation’s 56-year history.
In Najib’s four years as Prime Minister, Malaysia’s Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) plunged to its lowest rankings in the past 18 years, i.e. No. 56 in 2009 and 2010, No. 60 in 2011 and No. 54 in 2012, as compared to Malaysia’s No. 23rd ranking in the first TI CPI in 1995, No. 37th placing in 2003 when Tun Dr. Mahathir stepped down as Prime Minister after 22 years of authoritarian and corrupt rule and No. 47 ranking in 2008 after five years of Tun Abdullah’s “Mr. Clean” premiership.
It is incontrovertible and undeniable that corruption under Najib’s four-year premiership is the worst under any Prime Minister in the nation’s 56-year history, as apart from being worse than the Mahathir and Abdullah eras, no one has ever suggested that corruption under the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein were ever more serious than under their successors.
What makes a meaningful signing of the TI-M’s Election Integrity Pledge even more questionable is the presence of the Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who had put Malaysia on the international radar of anti-corruption campaigns after the allegations in the ground-breaking and explosive report by the Swiss-based NGO Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) last September which estimated the assets of Taib Mahmud’s family at US$21 billion (RM64 billion), with the wealth of Taib himself put at a whopping US$15 billion (RM46 billion) making him Malaysia’s richest man outstripping tycoon Robert Kuok who has US$12.5 billion.
Najib not only failed to show any seriousness or commitment in the battle against corruption by setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the BMF report to clear Taib’s name but even more important to vindicate Malaysia’s reputation, he as good as directed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to leave the BMF report alone by publicly dismissing its allegations of grand corruption against the Sarawak Chief Minister.
If the Sarawak Chief Minister was present at Najib’s Election Integrity Pledge signing ceremony yesterday, why was the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, another Barisan Nasional leader who has put Malaysia on the world radar in international anti-corruption campaigns, absent?
In my speech in Parliament on the 2013 Budget last October, I had spoken about the “test of the trio” as to whether there is real political will in the Najib premiership to combat “Grand Corruption” by VVIPs, and I had named Taib, Musa and the Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.
But there is only complete silence from Najib on the “test of the trio” in the battle against “grand corruption” in Malaysia.
What credibility and legitimacy could Najib’s signing of the Election Integrity Pledge inspire and generate when the 66th UMNO General Assembly last December was such a dismal failure as far as fighting corruption and ensuring election integrity in the 13th General Elections are concerned?
A month before the 66th UMNO General Assembly, China’s outgoing President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Hu Jintao warned at the 18th CCP Congress that corruption could trigger the collapse of the Party and the fall of the State – a theme which was taken up in the first speech of the new Chinese Communist Party leader, Xi Jinping, who denounced the prevalence of corruption and said officials needed to guard against its spread or it would “doom the party and the state”.
There was more reason for Najib than Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping to give priority to the grave problem of corruption as in the last two decades, China had been making measurable progress in the battle against corruption while the reverse is the case for Malaysia.
In fact, if the trend of China’s improvement in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in the past 18 years (1995-2012) and Malaysia’s regression continues unchecked, China will be placed in a better position than Malaysia in the TI CPI in being internationally regarded as being less corrupt in less than five years.
But the 66th UMNO General Assembly only provided further evidence that although Umno and Barisan Nasional have become synonymous with corruption in Malaysia and the four-year Najib premiership, Najib is only good at mouthing anti-corruption slogans but totally lacking the political will and commitment to root out corruption, especially grand corruption involving political and government leaders.
This was why the 66th UMNO General Assembly presented the sad spectacle of the Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman successfully performing the “disappearance” act despite valiant efforts by the media representatives on a look-out for him to respond to demands by Sabah UMNO delegates that Musa explain the scandal of the RM40million “political donation to Sabah UMNO” which involved him and the Sabah timber trader Michael Chia.
There was also the spectable of the the backing out and silence of the Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi coupled with the failure of Najib to respond to the serious allegations of integrity about a RM100 million defence ministry project in 2005 raised by businessman Deepak Jaikishan implicating the Prime Minister’s family and which is also related to the high-profile and long-running Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.
It was at the 66th UMNO General Assembly that some Sabah UMNO delegates told online news portals that although they full support Musa Aman, they were in the dark about the RM40 million “political donation” to Sabah UMNO and they wanted Musa to personally explain the issue.
However, there were also Sabah UMNO delegates who dismissed the controversy on the ground that the RM40 million donation was pittance compared to the millions UMNO dished out during elections – with one Sabah UMNO delegate revealing that in the Putatan constituency in his home state, UMNO would have to spend up to RM6 million during the polls.
With 26 parliamentary constituencies in Sabah (and Labuan) and at the average of RM6 million per constituency, the total election expenses would exceed RM150 million at the parliamentary level – which would more than doubled when the election expenses in the state assembly constituencies are taken into account.
With UMNO/BN spending at least RM300 million in Sabah, another RM300 million in Sarawak, and similar election expenditures for the 165 Parliamentary seats and 441 State Assembly seats in the eleven states in Peninsular Malaysia, we are looking at the UMNO/BN coalition spending billions of ringgit in the 13GE to retain power and recapture two-thirds parliamentary majority at the federal level, as well as regain the four Pakatan Rakyat states of Penang, Kelantan, Selangor and Kedah and ,maintain its unconstitutional rule in Perak.
With the UMNO/BN set to spend billions of ringgit in the 13GE, what is the use of Najib signing TI-M’s Election Integrity Pledge? I will discuss with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Hadi Awang whether under these circumstances, there is any purpose in our signing the TI-M’s Election Integrity Pledge.
Lim Kit Siang
What takes the cake is Najib signing the pledge while Rafizi is in the midst of revealing shocking details of Boustead deal with Deepak and Raja Ropiah which clearly shows only possible he machining the entire sordid affair which just confirms it covers up the mother of the sordid affair of Altantuya-Scorpene case.
Seriously, does he think people are fools? I recently stopped at a roadside kedai kopi in Pahang in the middle of Felda settlement and got dragged into a conversation with a group with Utusan in their hands and I asked them what they think of what Mahathir and Najib said and they said “kena tipu selama ini”…
Somebody be the tukang sign. Somebody be the tukang idea. Somebody be the tukang kerja. See in the end you can say it is not you. 1.4 million. Each one doing its’ tiny bit. How can you pin point one individual ? Whether it is big Napoleon or small Napoleon or not a Napoleon at all.
The BR1M handouts are blatant bribes to buy votes no matter how you look at it. The “you help me and I help you” pledges in the Hulu Langat and Sibu by elections are clearly attempts to bribe or coerce the voting public to vote for BN in return for monetary handouts. Is there a new deifinition of corruption in Malaysia that excludes these blatant attempts to buy votes?
What puzzles me too is why TI allowed itself to be used to lend legitimacy to a tainted pledge which is clearly intended to try to win votes in the election. TI should clarify this and stay neutral.
So OBVIOUS ! TRYING VERY HARD TO KEEP A TIGHT LID ON A BARREL OF IMPORTED ROTTEN FISH (so far being sealed by some social contract / understanding initiated by MaMaK Kutty, happily accepted by Bodowi ,now Ah-C-4 with Sulu ,,,) THE SMELL OF WHICH WOULD STINK TO HEAVEN !
ANOTHER PIECE OF ‘HANDICRAFT’ FROM MaMak Kutty, WORST THAN THE RCI SABAH ILLEGALS GIVEN MYKADS FOR ‘VOTES’,,,WORST more in hidden closets ALL MMK signatures !
NOW KRIS IS ASK TO PLACATE A TEMPORARY DEAL ADMIST G13. THEY (Sulu) are holding and playing their balls NOW and worst this KRIS guy is a gonna in the first place to know how to do a simple task albeit such “created stand-off situation” – hence, ALL STUPIDITIES being done IN SECRECY AND ACTED DRAMA TOTALLY HIDDEN FROM PUBLIC EYES.
AT THE END, THEY’LL SELL OUT THIS COUNTRY (least of their concern as long as they cling to power in order to safeguard their LOOT, POWER ) , AND WILL BE YET ANOTHER SPIN.
THESE ARE THE TRAITORS OF MALAYSIA !
Anything-AAAA,,,But-BBBB,,,Umno-UUUU – !!!
Sorry, the above comment for preceding article
” where’s the logic, KRIS ? “
///What makes a meaningful signing of the TI-M’s Election Integrity Pledge even more questionable is the presence of the Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud…///
You help me, I help you.
Yes, why not sign the pledge – one extra pledge would not make a difference or create an additional burden. We already have so many – 1Malaysia, performance now, people first, the world’s best democracy, the new economic model, fiscal prudence, inclusiveness and numerous others. Look like everybody is sucking up to PM now, including Transparency International. Yes, why should there be any doubt after all the past President of TI was Tunku Aziz, the most depraved and hypocritical of all politicians. At least those in BN tell you upfront they are crooks. Paul Low was a former MCA guy; he resigned because he loves TI too much during the PKFZ crisis. It must be a joke for him to ask BN and Najib to sign the pledges.
Another APLOMB on ANOTHER SANDIWARA !!!
JUST WALK THE TALK ! VERY SIMPLE, FIRSTLY WHAT HAPPEN TO NFC CASE ? THEN SCORPENE CASE ? TBH CASE ? continue after that, take years to resolve all but OK than NATO – NO ACTION TALK ONLY !!!
My view: Dont sign.
ANOTHER HOODWINK TACTIC ADMIST G13, A TRADEMARK OF MaMaK Kutty ! COPY BY Ah-C-4 NOW.
To sign or not to sign? Be careful of a trap!
We have been asking for a clean and fair election, isn’t this tantamount to asking for transparency in the forthcoming GE?
What if one party fails to live up to the terms and conditions in the pledge during GE? Who’s the judge?
Don’t read too much into BN’s signing of the Election Integrity Pledge. I think it is superfluous and a waste of time. Don’t all cabinet ministers, members of Parliament and state assembly men have to go through a swearing in ceremony before taking office in which they pledge, among others, allegiance to the King and the country, upholding of Constitution and discharging their duties fairly, sincerely etc. Can any of them claim, from the bottom of their hearts, that they have really adhered to their pledge?
Honestly no one should be surprise by the move. for BN fellow they can sign any thing as far as they achieve the publicity.
The master say he was not an accountant and argue on there fore he did not now, selling price with or without interest. Any one believe him he was sure not an accountant, because everyone know he was the longest pm in human history. But dose this mean being not an accountant he can sell off the people money ? Didn’t he has a team of adviser just like the adviser advise the current pm to sign the paper of “Inta geri ti”?
Forget about BN gorget about what they say. He can act as actor hitting drum just to win vote. Think before you vote him again. It will be better to see Kuan Seng Kong fellow beating the Lion Dance drum rather a PM who is so low till he act lion dancer hitting drum and now signing a paper to say he is “BERSIH”?
CHINESE calligraphy is unique, a stroke on the top can either longer or shorter than a stroke lower down. The adviser in the drum beating PM currently shown on TV has the top stroke shorter than the lower and made its meaningless. Just like signing a piece of paper saying I am cleaning but in substance is not, that make the signing ceremony a mockery of the century. How on earth Malaysia can have this kind of leaders?
Logic? Tell me which BN politician-comic has logic?
Secrews loose in the head, Yes. Logic, No.
What corruption?
It is corruption to the man on the LRT.
To BN, it is just plain helping themselves to the national pie.
It is stealing to the man on the RapidKL.
To BN, it is UMNOputra privilege.
You see corruption begins with a dirty mindset.
BN has it.
Perhaps, the Prime Minister is in need of a timely reminder to refresh him with some of the revelations here:
http://malaysian-scandal.blogspot.com/2012/02/65-reasons-why-bn-will-be-wiped-out.html
PEK MOH, SHY lah, don’t want 2 show off his US$15 billion wealth
Don’t forget MMK too – also SHY lah 2 show off his billions
Also many UmnoB/BN kaki, super rich, but SHY lah 2 show off
$$$$, most transported out of M’sia – dis is Y M’sia #1 outflow of tak halal $$$$
“Cross my heart and hope to die”. Heh, heh heh!