During the Chinese New Year, the media first reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had arrested a political secretary to a Cabinet Minister and raided his apartment in Teluk Air Tawar in Butterworth, seizing cash in bundles of RM5, RM10, RM50 and RM100 notes totaling about RM2 million. Also seized were a 4WD vehicle and a BMW car.
This was followed by a one-paragraph statement from the Prime Minister’s Department on the resignation of Hasbie Satar, the political secretary to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.
Malaysians can put the pieces together to fathom what is happening.
For me, I am reminded of two recent reports.
The first was the report last Monday where Nor Mohamed announced that the government has set aside RM15 billion for the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) programme under the 10th Malaysia Plan to help businessmen.
Nor Mohamed, who is in charge of the Economic Planning Unit, said the government would provide financial aid and other forms of assistance to any major business deemed viable so as to spur the economy and provide job opportunities for locals.
How much would be lost or “leaked” from this RM15 billion Private Finance Initiative under the 10th Malaysia Plan – whether through corruption, abuse of power or other improper means?
There have been cases of government “leakages” going up as high as 90 per cent of the stated amount, but even at the very moderate and minimum rate of 10 per cent “leakage”, we are looking at a loss of RM1.9 billion from the PFI initiative under the Tenth Malaysia Plan.
Secondly, I am also reminded of the government admission in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP) Roadmap that according to the PEMUDAH estimate, corruption could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year, or 1-2% of GDP.
However, this is generally regarded as a gross under-estimate. Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah has publicly estimated that corruption cost the government some RM28 billion a year.
I will propose at next month’s Parliamentary meeting that Parliament should set a principle KPI (key performance index) for MACC – to reduce the annual RM28 billion government loss from corruption by at least 10 per cent, i.e. RM2.8 billion, which should be evidenced by enough “big fish” arrests for corruption to the value of this amount.
I hope Barisan Nasional MPs will join Pakatan Rakyat MPs in the next parliamentary meeting to establish such a KPI for the MACC to demonstrate that Parliament is in the forefront in the war against corruption.
Just before Chinese New Year, MACC announced that it had cleared eight political personalities whom it had investigated of graft.
One was DAP Tronoh Assemblyman V. Sivakumar, the ousted Perak State Assembly Speaker, who was investigated by MACC for abusing his Speaker’s powers during the Perak political crisis arising from the illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic coup de’tat orchestrated by none other than Datuk Seri Najib Razak in February last year when he was Deputy Prime Minister.
MACC had clearly abused its powers in harassing and intimidating Sivakumar by investigating him for corruption in the illegal and undemocratic power grab in Perak last year and MACC should penalize the officials responsible and publicly apologise for this blatant abuse of power.
Pakatan Rakyat MPs will pursue this issue in the next meeting of Parliament if such an apology from MACC for its blatant abuse of power against Sivakumar by acting as the Umno/BN catspaw is not forthcoming.
[Speech at the Perak Pakatan Rakyat Chinese New Year Open House at Kwang Tung Association Taiping on Tuesday 16th February 2010 at 12.30 pm]
MACC also cleared Melaka CM Ali Rustam, but MACC should also question Umno disciplinary board, as to why the disciplinary board was so sure that Ali Rustam was guilty of money politics and barred him from taking part in the party elections.
Is MACC’s definition of incriminating evidence different than that of the Umno disciplinary board’s?
Yes, MACC should not have investigated V. Sivakumar. Who should be investigated are those people who had forcefully carried Sivakumar out of the Perak State Legislative Assembly, to unconstitutionally oust him from his post as the Perak State Assembly Speaker.
Why must the government implement the GST tax scheme which will cause hardship to some; can’t the government just catch a few “big fish” to derive the cash that it needs instead of resorting to GST?
Ain’t the corrupt people fearful of God the Almighty?
Our life here on earth is but the blink of an eye
The wages of sin is punishment for all eternity
Wise up and turn over a new leaf before you die
Ain’t the corrupt people fearful of God the Almighty?
Maybe they believe that the afterlife is like bolehland, where special privileges are still available for the tuans, and everything “bisa diatur” with the millions they have accumulated in bolehland.
Well, LKS will earn another lasting millage in his political carrier for suggesting KPI for MACC to reduce the annual RM28 billion government loss from corruption by at least 10 per cent, i.e. RM2.8 billion, which should be evidenced by enough “big fish” arrests for corruption to the value of this amount. I agree but don’t stick to only ‘big fish’, include the total value of corruption investigated for the year. Don’t LKS realise that not the amount counts but the act of corruption. ‘Small fish’ if not checked for corrupt practices will eventually register themselves as among the richest in the country then it is too late to take any remedy.
If I may suggest, the PR representatives led by LKS, Anwar, Hadi, TS Khalid, LGE and all others holding a post in the party should declare their movable and immovable assets including of their spouse, siblings and son / daughter which then published in the website for the people to peruse. It must be updated yearly showing annual accumulations and savings minus expenses. These acts will show high integrity, accountability and honesty in serving the people. Once done, the people then can demand the same from Najib, OTK, SV, Dr KSK, Kayveas, Taib, etc. Failing to do so will allow the voters to vote out these people in the next coming election. These will be a good yardstick to elect an individual who could serve the people well and honestly not for monetary gains. Anyone dare to lead this challenge? Take the vow and will in fighting corruption, malpractices and encourage good governance in the administration of the country and states.
can we have a comment from hong kong’s icac on today’s macc? it was nothing but glowing prognosis at the inception of the macc. in no time, the doubters are proving SO right.
another tell-tale sign malaysia are in serious trouble due to corruption. these days investment communities are looking at china’s next moves to predict where the global financial needle is pointing. china buys hard assets in developing countries as investments in the next century. and in the asian rim countries, china is big on indonesia, vietnam, cambodia, and thailand. it singled out malaysia because it is “dirty”, macc is a joke, if not an accessory.
I say the amount of RM28 billion estimated by Husni is still UNDERESTIMATED. Why? Take a look at Penang and Selangor. The Penang Govt even under BN was the most efficient one among all the BN ruled states and YET, they went from a deficit to a surplus, easily more than 10% savings by doing the very simple things as transparency. Imagine the Federal Budget which anyone who knows is likely the most corrupted one.
So the fact is RM28 billion may be more than the tip of the iceberg but it can be no more than half of the actual amount..
don’t play play…it appears like kempetai style
Well, as an ordinary Malaysian citizen, i think the MACC has done a good move in its effort to eradicate corruption in this country. Many has been heard of MACC compared to its predecessor the ACA whereby it is less heard. It does not matter whether if it is a big fish or a small fry, but what matters is the corrupton act either big or small. In effort to weed out corruption, i think the people’s willingness to cooperate, confidence and giving information is crucial to make this matter a success.
Regarding the KPI idea, it is a good move, but it is easier said rather than done. Political leaders, either the govt or opposition must set a good example to the rakyat. As rakyat, we dont need rhethoric slogans but what matters is the action taken by the political masters. They themselves must prove their action in fighting all forms of corruption and not to use corruption issues as to gain own personal agenda or political mileage. Do not let MACC fights the corruption alone. We as malaysians must be together in hand and must play each role to eradicate corruption and keep corruption act at bay.
Political secretary is a right hand man of an elected representative/minister.This Hasbie Satar being caught with RM 2 million in cash and in procession of a 4WD vehicle a BWW car is definitely not an isolated case. I hope the MACC would not treat it as Satar’s personal affair. Satar I think if investigated genuinely would lead the MACC to pretty lots of facts and truths about corruption in the all ministerial level. I sincerely hope the MACC would need to learn to represent people and not themselves,their masters and other special interest groups.
So which camp does he, yeah nor mohamed, belong to? Jib’s? Or is it Moo’s? This is no work of macc. This is in-fighting man.
In my books, this is DEFINITELY in-fighting by proxy.
Aiyah! Why all the fuss? Hasbie Satar was preparing the new notes for the CNY angpows that BN needs to dish out. Notice this was in Butterworth? And Penang is where all the anti PR rhetoric was uttered recently? And the barking stopped after the money was confiscated by MACC, who were not informed of the plot.
The MACC should do the same to Hasbie what they tried to do to TBH. It will be interesting to find out where the RM2m leads to. If they can be so dedicated in their investigation over RM2400 by working right through the night, surely they can do better over RM2m?
The guy has been released on RM50k bail so the perception is that the case will probably stay on the NFA list in the AG’s office.
This can happen if the AG’s office is politically driven and not based on judicial merits.
http://malaysiawatch4.blogspot.com/2010/02/malaysiakini-and-case-of-rm2mil-ang.html