Nothing technical about corruption

Datuk Seri Najib Razak is right. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Even Tan Sri Mohamed Isa Samad, who served his party and state well, and later served three of six years’ suspension for money politics in Umno.

But the Umno president is wrong to call Isa's offence a technical matter within the party as he told a student in Paris yesterday. "This (Isa's offence) is only a technical matter in the party and he has already paid for his deeds," Najib was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

The only reason why Isa did not face any charges in court is because Umno's money politics is under a preferential category of crimes.

And thus, up to the party to decide whether those in the wrong need to face the full weight of the country's laws. Isa did not because the former Negri Sembilan mentri besar is powerful and, as Najib himself admitted, popular and capable of winning.

But if that is how Najib looks at corruption, then it calls to question the prime minister's attitude towards fighting graft and eradicating the scourge in the country.

His predecessor boosted the powers of the maligned Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and made it the more powerful and nominally-independent Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), modelled after the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

MACC's honeymoon and being the darling of the country did not last long. The mysterious death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock last July 16 brought into focus the anti-graft body's methods of interrogation.

The federal opposition had earlier complained that MACC was only targeting their lawmakers and leaders but not those in the ruling coalition. Several high-profile corruption cases — Tan Sri Eric Chia's Perwaja case and Tan Sri Kasitah Gadam's case — had earlier come to naught.

As it is, the MACC has not been seen moving in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) case despite the proliferation of task forces, reports and counter-accusations by parties involved in the scandal that could cost RM12.5 billion.

So Najib is wrong to say that corruption is technical even if it is just vote-buying in Umno. Isa has paid his price for his misdeeds but he was found guilty of corruption and nothing can wash that taint away from him.

Corruption is a scourge that has cost this country more than a pretty penny in all the years of Barisan Nasional rule. It will indeed take a Herculean effort for Najib to clean up the Stygian stables from corruption.

Dismissing corruption as a technical matter will not help the prime minister get rid of this cancer. It will also not help him in justifying Isa's candidacy for the Bagan Pinang by-election.

Isa deserves a second chance. Sure.

But corruption does not deserve any more chances to flourish.


comments

Umno warlords' misdeeds are always technical in nature. Nothing serious and no harm done. That is the mindset and prerogative of Umno warlords. They have the kind immunity from the law which no one else in Malaysia has. Isa was found guilty of money politics by Umno was due to internal politics of Umno bcos he backed the wrong horse and offended one person he should not had offended in the first place at that time. He is not alone affected by this kind of internal politics/power struggles in Umno.

clearly shows that UMNO is a corrupt party up to its core. If any of the readers here are still an UMNO supporter, it is high time you scourge the practice and repent. Corruption is a despicable act and it just destroy a society or nation. I am perplex as to how an UMNO member or supporter, after clearly know that its member and in Isa' s case a leader who was found guilty of corruption is still look upon in high esteem. So is KJ an UMNO pemuda leader and yet he is look upon as semi God to his followers. Just baffled me to think of it.


In declaring and mitigating corruption as just "technical" ( whatever he really meant ) in nature, Najib had inadvertently, or even officially and legally, opened the floodgates of the country to all sorts of criminals, crooks, cheats, gangsters, bad hats of all colours and shapes, all Jekyll and Hyde, Mat This, Mat That, etc., etc.

As long as one could prove that he/she had served time, then all their tainted and criminal past could just be overlooked and forgotten in a just a whiff!!

Get Najib to tell the multinational corporations, the monolithic GLCs, private companies, institutions of higher learnings, etc., etc., that a suspicious applicant's past is only "technical" in nature, and should be overlooked, and he/she be given the chance to serve in their midst.

No wonder Omar could get into Petronas' boardroom that easily; by the same token if the access is on the basis of "technicality", wondering if the veto power of the PM is also "technical" in nature?

Also wondering how many "technical" decisions had been made in the past as far as BN-UMNO is concerned? And what would Dr. M's reaction to this "technical" admission of Najib be? Wonder if the Malaysian society at large agree with him? Wondering what is in the minds of criminals, would be criminals, crooks and gangsters with regard to their chances of aligning themselves with mainstream activities, after they choose to serve their time under Malaysian laws?

Najib has lots of explanation to do when he comes home!!!! Wondering if the wrath of the people against him would be "technical" as well?

In Malaysia , there are two standards of law. For those in UMNO and those outside. Within UMNO, giving bribes in terms of money or titles in return for votes is only a technical crime. No need to be subjected to the country's normal anti-corruption laws. May be to UMNO people this 'technical corruption' does not have the same financial implications to the bribe giver as compared to the definition of corruption as provided in the anti corruption laws, whereas in actual fact it is the same. If you win the Ketua Bahagian post, you will have access to many opportunities to enrich yourself, what more if you win the supreme council membership, or the posts of vice president, deputy president or president .There is nothing technical about what Isa did. Corruption is corruption regardless of whether it is done within or outside the party.Otherwise why did some UMNO members lodged a police report against Pak Lah some time back. From the Islamic point of view , what Isa had done was haram, as clear as daylight. So the explanation is a BIG BULLSHIT and an insult to people's intelligence.