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Why can’t MACC re-open investigations into the scandal of the RM40 million “political donation to Sabah Umno” in the light of new evidence instead of asking the AG to review his decision on the case?

The PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli returned from his second trip to Hong Kong and meeting with its Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with the news that the possibility is high that Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman could be charged with money laundering by the Hong Kong authorities following the submission of “new evidence” related to Musa’s alleged logging commissions.

Last week, it was disclosed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Operations Review Panel had requested the Attorney-General to review its decision on the RM40 million allegedly channeled from timber trader Michael Chia to Musa.

The question is why the MACC could not act independently and professionally, and on its own re-open investigations into the scandal of the RM40 million “political donation to Sabah Umno” in the light of “new evidence”, especially with many questions left answered, including:

Whether the RM40 million cash in Singapore currency, which Sabah timber trader Michael Chia had in his luggage before boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur at the Hong Kong International Airport on August 14, 2008 and was impounded by the Hong Kong for three years but which had to be released when the Malaysian authorities refused to co-operate with ICAC on the case, was “dirty money” derived from corruption and/or illegal logging activities in Sabah which had to be smuggled or laundered back into Malaysia. Continue reading “Why can’t MACC re-open investigations into the scandal of the RM40 million “political donation to Sabah Umno” in the light of new evidence instead of asking the AG to review his decision on the case?”

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Beranikah SPRM mengikut jejak rakan sejawatnya di Indonesia, Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) dengan memperkenalkan pengubah-permainan di dalam pencegahan rasuah dengan mengkehendaki semua pemimpin politik dan penjawat awam untuk memperjelas tentang kekayaan luar biasa yang tidak setara dengan gaji rasmi mereka?

“Jangan tembak SPRM dari belakang” adalah salah satu tajuk akhbar hari ini, memetik Ketua Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah (SPRM) Datuk Seri Abu Kassim semalam ketika meminta ahli politik untuk tidak “menembak SPRM dari belakang” kerana itu akan menyukarkan untuk memerangi rasuah.

Beliau berkata: “SPRM adalah tentera untuk memerangi rasuah. Jika anda menembak kami dari belakang, kepada siapa lagi masyarakat boleh meminta pertolongan untuk menentang rasuah.”

Abu Kassim benar-benar telah silap. Ahli politik Pakatan Rakyat bukan menembak SPRM daripada belakang tetapi daripada depan berkenaan kegagalan nyata dan ketidakcekapan di dalam memerangi rasuah, namun membenarkan SPRM untuk mempertahankan dirinya. Tiada sebab untuk pemimpin politik PR menyembunyikan kritikan mereka terhadap SPRM.

Hanya ahli politik UMNO/Barisan Nasional mempunyai sumber, cara malah motivasi untuk menembak SPRM dari belakang, untuk memastikan SPRM yang sudahpun menjadi alat menurut perintah kepada pemimpin politik yang berkuasa, supaya menjadi lebih menurut perintah kepada pemimpin bawahan yang lain di dalam perikatan pemerintah.

Kedua, empat tahun selepas menaiktaraf Biro Pencegahan Rasuah (BPR) kepada SPRM dengan penambahan kuasa, dana dan kakitangan, rakyat Malaysia masih belum yakin bahawa SPRM merupakan “tentera untuk memerangi rasuah”.
Continue reading “Beranikah SPRM mengikut jejak rakan sejawatnya di Indonesia, Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) dengan memperkenalkan pengubah-permainan di dalam pencegahan rasuah dengan mengkehendaki semua pemimpin politik dan penjawat awam untuk memperjelas tentang kekayaan luar biasa yang tidak setara dengan gaji rasmi mereka?”

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Dare MACC emulate its Indonesian counterpart, KPK and introduce game-changer in anti-corruption battle by requiring all political leaders and public servants to explain unusually high wealth not in line with their official salary?

“Don’t shoot MACC from behind” is one newspaper headline today, quoting the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim yesterday when urging politicians from all parties not to “shoot the MACC from behind”, saying that this would only make it even more difficult to fight corruption.

He said: “The MACC is the army to fight corruption. If you shoot us from behind, who could our society ask for help against corruption.”

Abu Kassim is grossly mistaken. Pakatan Rakyat politicians do not shoot MACC from behind but from the front, for its obvious failings and ineffectiveness in the war against corruption, allowing the MACC to defend itself. There is no reason for PR political leaders to hide their criticisms of MACC.

Only UMNO/Barisan Nasional politicians have the resources, means and even the motivation to shoot MACC from behind, to ensure that the MACC, which is already a complaint and subservient creature of the political leaders in power, will become even more compliant and subservient to the other lower-ranking leaders in the ruling coalition.

Secondly, four years after the elevation of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to MACC with increased powers, funding and staffing, Malaysians are not convinced that the MACC is “the army to fight corruption”.

MACC has still blood on its hands, with the death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock and customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamad on its premises still to be unsatisfactorily accounted for. Clearly, only a change of government in Putrajaya in the 13GE followed by the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry can get to the bottom of the mysterious deaths of Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbaini on the MACC premises. Continue reading “Dare MACC emulate its Indonesian counterpart, KPK and introduce game-changer in anti-corruption battle by requiring all political leaders and public servants to explain unusually high wealth not in line with their official salary?”

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Tahun depan merupakan tahun petaka untuk CPI TI Malaysia memandangkan UMNO/BN bersedia untuk menaburkan berbilion ringgit di dalam PRU13 bagi mengekalkan kuasa – membawa politik wang ke satu paras baru sejarah negara

Untuk empat tahun berturut-turut, sepanjang tempoh Najib menjadi Perdana Menteri (2009-2012) telah mencatatkan kedudukan rendah di dalam Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) Transparency International (TI) 2012 berbanding dua Perdana Menteri sebelumnya iaitu Tun Mahathir dan Tun Abdullah.

Di tahun pertama CPI TI pada 1995, Malaysia berada pada kedudukan ke-23 daripada 41 negara, menjunam ke tempat ke-37 pada 2003 ketika Mahathir meletakkan jawatan sebagai Perdana Menteri pada hujung tahun itu.

Meskipun berdegar-degar Abdullah dikaitkan dengan imej “Mr. Clean” dan”Hakim Bao Zaman Moden”, “pencegahan rasuah secara menyeluruh” dan “penahanan 18 ‘ikan besar”, CPI TI Malaysia masih berterusan menjunam dalam tempoh lima tahun Abdullah menjadi Perdana Menteri, jatuh ke tempat 47 pada tahun 2008.

Akan tetapi empat tahun Najib memegang jawatan Perdana Menteri memperlihatkan CPI TI Malaysia menjunam ke paras yang lebih rendah – No.56 pada tahun 2009 dan 2010, No. 60 pada 2011 dan No. 54 pada 2012.

Kesannya, sepanjang tempoh Najib memegang jawatan Perdana Menteri beliau mempunyai rekod buruk menjadi lebih korup berbanding lima Perdana Menteri sebelumya, memandangkan tiada yang menyatakan rasuah di bawah tiga Perdana Menteri awal iaitu Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak dan Tun Hussein lebih serius berbanding pengganti mereka.

Sehingga tahun tujuh puluhan, skandal terbesar di Parlimen adalah skandal RM65 juta Bank Rakyat yang saya bahaskan di Parlimen pada tahun 1979.
Continue reading “Tahun depan merupakan tahun petaka untuk CPI TI Malaysia memandangkan UMNO/BN bersedia untuk menaburkan berbilion ringgit di dalam PRU13 bagi mengekalkan kuasa – membawa politik wang ke satu paras baru sejarah negara”

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Next year will be a bad year for Malaysia’s TI CPI as UMNO/BN are set to spend billions to try to retain power in the 13GE – taking money politics to new depths in nation’s history

For the fourth consecutive year, the Najib premiership (2009-2012) has registered a lower ranking in the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2012 than under the two previous Prime Ministers, Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah.

In the first year of TI CPI in 1995, Malaysia was ranked 23rd out of 41 countries, plunging to No. 37th placing in 2003 when Mahathir stepped down as Prime Minister at the end of the year.

Despite all the Abdullah boast of “Mr. Clean”, “Modern-Day Justice Bao”, “all-out war against corruption” and “impending arrest of 18 ‘big fishes’”, Malaysia’s TI CPI continued on a headlong plunge in Abdullah’s five-year premiership, falling to No. 47 position in 2008.

But the four years of Najib premiership saw Malaysia’s TI CPI plunging to even lower depths – No. 56 in 2009 and 2010, No. 60 in 2011 and No. 54 in 2012.

As a result, the Najib premiership has the dubious record of being even more corrupt than all the previous five premierships, as no one has ever suggested that corruption under the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein were more serious than their successors.

Until the seventies, the biggest scandal in Parliament was the RM65 million Bank Rakyat scandal which I debated in Parliament in 1979.
Continue reading “Next year will be a bad year for Malaysia’s TI CPI as UMNO/BN are set to spend billions to try to retain power in the 13GE – taking money politics to new depths in nation’s history”

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Adakah Najib akan memohon maaf kerana rekod buruk Malaysia dalam membanteras rasuah ketika di bawah pengawasan beliau sebagai PM, kegagalan sehinggakan kedudukan terendah CPI TI untuk empat tahun berturut-turut sejak 2009-2012?

Hari ini, 9 Disember, merupakan Hari Anti-Rasuah Antarabangsa yang ditetapkan oleh Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk meningkatkan kesedaran tentang rasuah dan juga Konvensyen PBB Menentang Rasuah dalam melawan dan mencegah rasuah.

Walau bagaimanapun, sekalipun ini merupakan Hari Anti-Rasuah Antarabangsa ke-9 sejak pertama kali didakan pada 2004, Kerajaan Malaysia terus tidak mempedulikannya – mencerminkan kurangnya komitmen dan kesungguhan politik untuk membanteras rasuah, terutamanya “rasuah besar” pemimpin politik dan kerajaan.

Kegagalan kerajaan “reformasi” Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak untuk meraikan Hari Anti-Rasuah Antarabangsa tahun ini amat mengecewakan, memandangkan baru sepuluh hari lepas Najib telah meminta maaf atas “segala kekhilafan” kerajaan UMNO/Barisan Nasional pada masa lalu, diungkapkan dengan kata-kata penuh berbunga, iaitu:

“Bumi mana tak ditimpa hujan, laut mana tidak bergelora, bahagian dunia manakah yang wujudnya orang, atau pimpinan, atau persyarikatan atau parti yang tidak pernah tersandung atau tersalah. Di atas segalanya, sebagai kepimpinan parti dan kerajaan, kami menyusun jari nan sepuluh memohon maaf atas kekhilafan.”

Saya mahu bertanya Najib adakah beliau akan memohon maaf kerana rekod buruk Malaysia dalam membanteras rasuah ketika di bawah pengawasan beliau sebagai PM, kegagalan sehinggakan kedudukan terendah Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) Transparancy International (TI) untuk empat tahun berturut-turut sejak 2009-2012 – satu rekod yang lebih buruk daripada Perdana Menteri sebelumnya?
Continue reading “Adakah Najib akan memohon maaf kerana rekod buruk Malaysia dalam membanteras rasuah ketika di bawah pengawasan beliau sebagai PM, kegagalan sehinggakan kedudukan terendah CPI TI untuk empat tahun berturut-turut sejak 2009-2012?”

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Will Najib apologise for Malaysia’s poor record in fighting corruption under his watch as PM, falling to lowest rankings of TI CPI

Today, December 9, is the International Anti-Corruption Day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness of corruption and the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in combating and preventing corruption.

However, although this is the 9th International Anti-Corruption Day since its first observance in 2004, the Malaysian Government had simply ignored it – which is a reflection of its lack of commitment and political will to combat corruption, in particular “grand corruption” of top political and government leaders.

The failure of the “reform” government of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to observe the International Anti-Corruption Day this year is a great disappointment, as it was only ten days ago that Najib had apologised for “any oversight” of the UMNO/Barisan Nasional government in the past, couched in the most flowery of language, viz:

“Where on this earth is there no rain, which sea has no turbulence? Where on this earth are there people, or leaders, or companies or parties that have never stumbled or committed a mistake? As the leadership of the party and government, we put our palms together in apology for any oversight.”

I want to ask Najib whether he would apologise for Malaysia’s poor record in fighting corruption under his watch as Prime Minister, falling to the lowest rankings of Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for four consecutive years from 2009-2012 – a record worse than previous Prime Ministers?

This concerns his own “oversight” as Prime Minister in the past four years and not the “oversight” of the previous UMNO/BN Prime Ministers in the past five decades! Continue reading “Will Najib apologise for Malaysia’s poor record in fighting corruption under his watch as PM, falling to lowest rankings of TI CPI”

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Leadership in challenging times

by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

I am singularly honoured to have been invited by Rotary District 3300 to deliver the keynote address marking its 78th Annual Conference.

2. We know that Rotary brings together leaders from all walks of life to provide services with very high ethical standards in accordance with the organization’s credo of Service Above Self. We also know that these services helped contribute towards the building of peace and goodwill across the world. We never tire of admiring Rotary for the movement’s exemplary arrangement to draw Rotarians from all walks of life – enterprise, public service, the professions and politics. Given that Rotarians are leaders in their own right, I thought, therefore, it is apt if I were to spend some time and share with you my thoughts on leadership.

3. I seek your indulgence, ladies and gentlemen, to take a slight detour and step back to a month ago yesterday. On the 7th of November, leadership – or rather, the quintessential quality of leadership – was visually defined on television, much to the admiration of the world. For long stretches of time on that day, a particular 24-hour satellite news channel repeatedly aired two news clips showing the reactions of two presidential candidates in a just concluded election for the head of government in a matured democracy across the Atlantic.

4. One clip showed the victor’s magnanimity in embracing his opponent. This could, in a manner, help to close whatever chasm and divide that had developed across the differing political sides in the aftermath of the hustings. Any politician seasoned enough with the ways of elections could tell us that such a chasm is potentially cancerous and could, if not properly attended to, fester into a permanent scar damaging to the nation. This could very well have been the case had the victor not held out his hand in a symbolic gesture to register his intent to dress the wound of defeat suffered by the loser.

5. The Other? A clip on the vanquished. It registered the loser ever so gracious in offering his congratulations and good wishes to the winner after the people had made known their choice. Cynics would have us believe that on show was the handiwork of professional image makers designed to create a mirage of civility to hide the gloating and the disappointment across the two political aisles. But the truth comes across as more sincere and thus the poignant scenes that I had drawn your attention to. Continue reading “Leadership in challenging times”

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Once-Top Indonesian Reformer’s Feet of Clay

Asia Sentinel
07 December 2012

Sports minister, once thought presidential material, is named a corruption suspect

Indonesia’s Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng, once thought to be a voice of the new reformasi Indonesia, resigned Friday after being named a suspect on corruption charges by the country’s anti-graft watchdog.

Mallarangeng, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s handpicked choice to lead the Democratic Party until he was pushed aside by party leader Anas Urbaningrum – himself thought to be a suspect in the same corruption probe – was once thought to be presidential material to replace SBY after he is scheduled to leave office in 2014.

The charges had long been expected, dealing with the construction of the scandal-plagued athletes’ village for the 2011 Southeast Asian Games. A widening ring of top Democratic Party officials has been snared in the probe, including the onetime party treasurer, Muhammad Nazaruddin, who has been jailed on bribery charges and who has been an invaluable witness central to the case. Earlier this week Nazaruddin submitted documents to the KPK that he said proved that Anas Urbaningrum and secretary general Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono — SBY’s son — were aware of the flow of corruption-tainted funds.

Mallarangang “is a huge disappointment to a lot of people because he was once thought to be clean and an example of a new breed of political leader,” said a veteran Jakarta-based political analyst. The act is yet another indication that the Corruption Eradication Commission is drawing ever closer to the circle that surrounds the president himself. Continue reading “Once-Top Indonesian Reformer’s Feet of Clay”

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Has corruption in M’sia really gone down?

Ramon Navaratnam
Malaysiakini
Dec 6, 2012

It is arguable whether Malaysia has really done better in the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report released by Transparency International-Malaysia, on behalf of Transparency International in Berlin.

As the report states clearly, the scoring system this year has been upgraded. Hence it cannot be accurately compared to last year’s scoring.

Thus it can be misleading to highlight the claim that Malaysia has moved up six places to number 54 this year, compared to the ranking of 60 last year.

Furthermore Malaysia scored 49 out of 100 marks for this year. This is below the half mark of 50 thus placing Malaysia amongst the two-thirds of the 176 countries surveyed, that have serious corruption problems.

So how can we say that we have improved? If at all we have improved, it is a very insignificant improvement, which does not deserve all the praise bestowed on this dubious success. Continue reading “Has corruption in M’sia really gone down?”

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Kedudukan CPI Malaysia meningkat daripada tempat ke-60 daripada 183 negara pada 2011 kepada 54 daripada 176 negara pada 2012 tetapi tiga teras utama NKRA Membanteras Rasuah masih mempunyai banyak kelemahan

Di dalam Indeks Persepsi Rasuah Transparency International 2012 yang baru diterbitkan, kedudukan CPI Malaysia telah meningkat daripada tempat ke-60 daripada 183 negara pada 2011 kepada tempat ke-54 daripada 176 negara pada 2012.

Sementara Malaysia mungkin boleh berasa sedikit selesa dengan penurunan pada kedudukan Malaysia di dalam kedudukan CPI, haruslah diketahui bahawa kedudukan ke-54 masih teruk berbanding kedudukan Malaysia di tempat ke-43 daripada 179 negara pada tahun 2007 dan jauh lebih teruk daripada kedudukan ke-33 daripada 102 negara pada 2002 (Lihat jadual 1 di bawah).

Jadual 1: Kedudukan CPI Malaysia, mata dan jumlah negara di dalam sampel, 2001 hingga 2012

Tahun 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Kedudukan 36 33 37 39 39 44 43 47 56 56 60 54
Mata 5 4.9 5.2 5 5.1 5 5.1 5.1 4.5 4.4 4.3 49
Jumlah Negara 91 102 133 145 158 163 179 180 180 178 183 176

Malah, tidak seharusnya kita berasa sangat selesa dengan hakikat bahawa peningkatan Malaysia adalah kerana kita berjaya mengatasi kerajaan yang ‘terkenal’ dan ‘bersih’ seperti Jordan, Namibia, Oman, Kuwait dan Arab Saudi.
Continue reading “Kedudukan CPI Malaysia meningkat daripada tempat ke-60 daripada 183 negara pada 2011 kepada 54 daripada 176 negara pada 2012 tetapi tiga teras utama NKRA Membanteras Rasuah masih mempunyai banyak kelemahan”

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Keutamaan yang sangat mendesak bagi SPRM dan Jabatan Peguam Negara untuk menjalankan kursus berkenaan rasuah buat Perdana Menteri, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Menteri Kabinet, Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri terutamanya di Sarawak dan Sabah serta pegawai tinggi kerajaan termasuk Peguam Negara sendiri sekiranya Malaysia benar-benar serius membanteras “rasuah besar”

Dalam perjalanan ke Yong Peng dari Kuala Lumpur tadi, saya terbaca satu berita bahawa Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) dan Jabatan Peguam Negara akan mengadakan kursus pencegahan rasuah kepada ahli-ahli parlimen tahun depan.

Pengarah Pemandu, D Ravindran yang bertanggungjawab terhadap bahagian anti-rasuah bagi Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA), berkata:

“Pelan Transformasi Kerajaan 2.0 (GTP 2.0) sebenarnya mempunyai komitmen oleh Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamad dan AG (Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail), di mana kedua-duanya akan mengadakan kursus untuk penggubal undang-undang kita.”

“Jadi, untuk pertamakalinya, kita akan mendidik ahli parlimen kita mengenai apa yang boleh diambil atau apa yang tidak boleh diambil,”

Bercakap di luar pelancaran Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) Transparency International (TI) 2012, Ravindran mengatakan kursus tersebut akan turut memberikan maklumat tentang apa yang menjadikan sesuatu itu rasuah, dan tatakelakuan serta amalan terbaik untuk mengelakkannya.
Continue reading “Keutamaan yang sangat mendesak bagi SPRM dan Jabatan Peguam Negara untuk menjalankan kursus berkenaan rasuah buat Perdana Menteri, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Menteri Kabinet, Menteri Besar dan Ketua Menteri terutamanya di Sarawak dan Sabah serta pegawai tinggi kerajaan termasuk Peguam Negara sendiri sekiranya Malaysia benar-benar serius membanteras “rasuah besar””

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Tiada apa untuk diraikan tetapi banyak sebab untuk dikesalkan terhadap Indeks Persepsi Rasuah Transparency International 2012 yang meletakkan kedudukan Malaysia di tempat ke-54 berbanding tempat ke-60 negara paling kurang rasuah tahun lepas

Tiada apa untuk diraikan tetapi banyak sebab untuk dikesalkan terhadap Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) Transparency International (TI) 2012 yang meletakkan kedudukan Malaysia di tempat ke-54 berbanding tempat ke-60 negara paling kurang rasuah tahun lepas

Jumlah negara yang dinilai dalam CPI TI 2012 tekah dikurangkan daripada 183 negara tahun lepas kepada 176 negara tahun ini dan TI telah menggunakan metodologi baru, TI juga menyatakan yang mata CPI 2012 tidak boleh dibandingkan dengan mata pada tahun 2011 atau mana-mana penilaian sebelumnya. Perbandingan antara tahun hanya boleh dilakukan bermula 2012 sebagai asas untuk tahun-tahun berikutnya.

Mengikut metodologi baru, mata CPI adalah pada skala 0-100 dengan 0=tanggapan rasuah tahap tertinggi dan 100=tanggapan rasuah tahap terendah berbanding mata 0 hingga 10 pada mata CPI sebelum ini.

Sungguhpun mata CPI TI 2012 Malaysia adalah 49 daripada 100 tidak boleh dibandingkan dengan mata CPI TI sepanjang 17 tahun lalu daripada 1995 hingga 2011, satu hakikat yang tidak dapat dielakkan adalah Malaysia telah tewas dalam usaha membanteras rasuah sepanjang dekad-dekad sebelumnya, yang melihat kedudukan CPI TI Malaysia jatuh ke kedudukan terendah tempat ke-60 tahun lepas berbanding tempat ke-23 pada 1995, dan mata CPI menjunam ke 4.3 tahun lepas berbanding 5.32 pada tahun 1996.
Continue reading “Tiada apa untuk diraikan tetapi banyak sebab untuk dikesalkan terhadap Indeks Persepsi Rasuah Transparency International 2012 yang meletakkan kedudukan Malaysia di tempat ke-54 berbanding tempat ke-60 negara paling kurang rasuah tahun lepas”

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Avoiding corruption course for MPs? Nonsense

— Kunjuraman Karuppan
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 06, 2012

DEC 6 — You get worried about the old country sometimes. From rather nonsensical statements made by so-called authorities to unquestioning reporters, one gets the feeling that most of Malaysia is mediocre, and stupid.

The latest is a course on avoiding corruption for parliamentarians by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers next year, says PEMANDU director D. Ravindran.

While you are at it, Mr Ravindran, how about a course for those in the august Dewan Rakyat to stop lying or using foul language. Perhaps even potty training?

What, these MPs are kids is it? They are stupid? They don’t know right from wrong? How hard is it to stop corruption? Stop taking money for favours. Stop doing favours that will give advantage to one party over another.

How hard is that, Mr Ravindran, that you are quoted as saying the following by a news portal, “So, for the first time, we are going to teach our parliamentarians what is right to take and what is not right to take.”

I mean, if the MPs don’t know what constitutes corruption, then Malaysia is in a lot of trouble. Then the MACC has been useless, and is that what you are saying, Mr Ravindran? Continue reading “Avoiding corruption course for MPs? Nonsense”

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Malaysia’s CPI Rank has improved from 60 out of 183 countries in 2011 to 54 out of 176 countries in 2012 but three main thrusts of the Fighting Corruption NKRA still have gaping holes

In the recently released Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2012, Malaysia’s ranking improved from 60 out of 183 countries in 2011 to 54 out of 176 countries in 2012.

While Malaysians may take some comfort in this temporary arrest in Malaysia’s steady decline in our CPI ranking, one must keep in mind that this ranking of 54 is still worse than Malaysia’s ranking of 43 out of 179 countries in 2007 and far worse than the ranking of 33 out of 102 countries in 2002 (See Table 1 below).

Table 1: Malaysia’s CPI ranking, score and total number of countries in sample, 2001 to 2012

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Ranking 36 33 37 39 39 44 43 47 56 56 60 54
Score 5 4.9 5.2 5 5.1 5 5.1 5.1 4.5 4.4 4.3 49
Total No. of Countries 91 102 133 145 158 163 179 180 180 178 183 176

Indeed, one should not take too much comfort in the fact that Malaysia improved in the ranking because it overtook ‘luminaries’ of ‘clean’ government such as Jordan, Namibia, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Indeed, many developing countries that have far lower per capita GDP compared to Malaysia continues to do better than us in the CPI rankings including Rwanda (50), Bhutan (33) and Botswana (30), not to mention the newly industrialized economies (NIEs) in Asia namely South Korea (45), Taiwan (37), Hong Kong (14) and Singapore (5). Continue reading “Malaysia’s CPI Rank has improved from 60 out of 183 countries in 2011 to 54 out of 176 countries in 2012 but three main thrusts of the Fighting Corruption NKRA still have gaping holes”

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Urgent priority for MACC and AG’s Chambers to conduct course on corruption for PM, DPM, Cabinet Ministers, MBs and CMs particularly Sarawak and Sabah and top government officers including AG himself if Malaysia is serious in war against “grand corruption”

On the way to Yong Peng from Kuala Lumpur tonight, I came across the news report that the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers will hold a course on avoiding corruption for parliamentarians next year.

The Pemandu director D Ravindran, who is in charge of the anti-corruption section of the National Key Results Areas (NKRA), is quoted as saying:

“The Government Transformation Plan 2.0 (GTP 2.0) has the commitment of both the MACC chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamad and the AG (Abdul Gani Patail), who will both be conducting the course for our lawmakers.

“So, for the first time, we are going to teach our parliamentarians what is right to take and what is not right to take.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the launching of the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index 2012, Ravindran said the course would include information on what constitutes corruption, and the codes of conduct and best practices to avoid it.

The MACC and the AG’s Chamber should not be barking up the wrong trees as they should know where the priorities in fighting corruption, especially grand corruption, should lie.

Let me tell MACC and the AG’s Chambers that the urgent priority in the battle against graft in Malaysia is for MACC and AG’s Chambers to conduct a course on corruption for the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers particularly Sarawak and Sabah as well as top government officers including the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Gani Patail himself, if Malaysia is serious in its war against “grand corruption”. Continue reading “Urgent priority for MACC and AG’s Chambers to conduct course on corruption for PM, DPM, Cabinet Ministers, MBs and CMs particularly Sarawak and Sabah and top government officers including AG himself if Malaysia is serious in war against “grand corruption””

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No reason to celebrate but many grounds to rue over Transparency International 2012 Corruption Perception Index which ranked Malaysia 54th as compared to 60th last year as least corrupt country in the world

There is no reason to celebrate but many grounds to rue over Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2012 which ranked Malaysia 54th as compared to 60th last year as least corrupt country in the world.

The total number of countries assessed in the TI CPI 2012 have been reduced from 183 countries last year to 176 countries this year and TI has used a new methodology, declaring that country scores of the CPI 2012 cannot be compared against those of 2011 or previous editions.Year to year comparisons will be possible from 2012 as the baseline year for subsequent years.

Under the new methodology, the the CPI score will be on a scale of 0-100 where a 0=highest level of perceived corruption and 100 = lowest level of perceived corruption as compared to the previous CPI score from 0 to 10.

Although Malaysia’s 2012 TI CPI score of 49 out of 100 cannot be compared with the past TI CPI scores of the past 17 years from 1995 to 2011, one inescapable fact is that Malaysia has been fighting a losing battle against corruption in the past decades, which saw Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking falling to the lowest level of 60th place last year as compared to 23rd ranking in 1995, and the CPI score plunging to an unprecedented low of 4.3 last year as compared to the highest score of 5.32 achieved in 1996.
Continue reading “No reason to celebrate but many grounds to rue over Transparency International 2012 Corruption Perception Index which ranked Malaysia 54th as compared to 60th last year as least corrupt country in the world”

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Perkara paling mengecewakan daripada Najib pada Perhimpunan Agung UMNO – kegagalan mengisytiharkan perang ke atas rasuah

Perhimpunan Agung ke-66 “perang” UMNO baru sahaja berakhir dengan penuh keyakinan dan tawa gembira, apabila Setiausaha Agung UMNO Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor dan pemimpin UMNO yang lain mengisytiharkan bahawa UMNO bukan sahaja bakal menang pada pilihan raya umum akan datang, tetapi akan memenangi kembali majoriti dua pertiga dan keempat-empat negeri Pakatan termasuklah Kelantan dan Pulau Pinang.

Walau bagaimanapun, manusia hanya merancang, Tuhan yang akan menentukan”.

Kemungkinan untuk Barisan Nasional mendapatkan kembali keempat-empat negeri Pakatan Rakyat iaitu Pulau Pinang, Kelantan, Selangor dan Kedah atau menyekat kemaraan Pakatan Rakyat untuk memenangi semula Kerajaan Negeri Perak tidak harus ditolak sepenuhnya. Continue reading “Perkara paling mengecewakan daripada Najib pada Perhimpunan Agung UMNO – kegagalan mengisytiharkan perang ke atas rasuah”

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Umno’s Ponzi scheme

Mariam Mokhtar
Malaysiakini
Dec 3, 2012

Malaysians need not fear that we will become like Afghanistan because Afghanistan has learnt from us and has become like us.

A New York Times report headlined ‘Audit says Kabul Bank began as Ponzi scheme’ bears a striking resemblance to the way Umno runs this country.

Investigators have claimed that the Kabul Bank has been fraudulently obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars and siphoning it off to a few individuals connected to President Hamid Karzai (left).

The war-torn country is trying to get to grips with the concepts of western democracy and banking, but public trust and confidence in the government has been shattered by the revelations of crony capitalism and corruption on a massive scale.

Governments around the world are shocked at the Kabul Bank scandal but are turning a blind eye to similar events in Malaysia, where institutions routinely siphon off money to Umno and its cronies.

An audit by the Kroll investigative firm has revealed that the Kabul Bank’s financial duplicity was mired in controversy and cover up. There was a political conspiracy involving those at the very top of government to stall the investigations.

This is no different from Malaysia. Recent cases are the political interference concerning Tajuddin Ramli’s involvement in the Malaysia Airlines scandal, the Sabah Umno and Michael Chia fiasco and the National Feedlot Corporation case. Continue reading “Umno’s Ponzi scheme”

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God, comedy and the Umno general assembly

Kee Thuan Chye
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 2, 2012

COMMENT

The Umno general assembly has often come across as reality comedy. Its ‘performers’ unwittingly amuse us with their unintentionally comic turns. This year, they didn’t disappoint.

Wanita chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, whose family is embroiled in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal that forced her not to renew her senatorship, says that for the upcoming general election, she is a winnable candidate. God help her.

Indeed, God was invoked on several occasions throughout the general assembly, sometimes for the sake of seeking his help.

President Najib Abdul Razak urged Umno members to pray hard to God in order to win the general election. “Let us pray so that with His blessings, we will continue to be the country’s ruling party,” he said.

The subtext of that smacked of a loss in confidence. Continue reading “God, comedy and the Umno general assembly”