Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi today blasted a call by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to consider amnesty in minor corruption cases, saying the Bersih 2.0 chairman’s suggestion would only lead to increased bribery.
Yesterday, Ambiga said PR should pardon those involved in minor corruption if it wins Putrajaya so the country can move forward quickly after a change in power.
She stressed, however, that this did not mean those found guilty of large-scale corruption should be similarly pardoned.
“She should be aware that minor corruption could lead to major corruption. Corruption is like a cancer. We should weed it out irrespective of whether it is committed by ‘small fish’ or ‘big fish,’” the defence minister was quoted as saying by Bernama Online today.
Zahid’s defence ministry is no stranger to corruption allegations, and regularly sees its multi-billion defence contracts being queried by PR lawmakers.
Most recently, PR parliamentarians demanded an explanation for the defence ministry’s purchase of six littoral class patrol ships for a whopping RM9 billion — an increase of RM3 billion from the original RM6 billion approved earlier last year.
The ministry’s previous decision to pay RM7.6 billion for armoured personnel carriers (APC) procured by DRB-Hicom Bhd for only US$559 million (RM1.7 billion) drew similar questions from PR parliamentarians.
The government maintains that such contracts must be classified as a matter of national security, but PR insists that Malaysians have a right to know how public funds were being spent given the ministry’s history of cost overruns.
Anti-graft watchdog Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) has also urged the government to stop to using national security as an excuse for the secrecy that ends up hiding graft involving defence contracts, and consider appointing independent monitors for such deals.
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Haha the guy who overpaid for so many military purchases can be the one to talk? lol
You said it right Zahid, now go and tell your friends the same thing and see what their reply is.
Says the man mired in defence scandals..! The nerve of the man.! He should look in the " mirror " of Barisan before opening his mouth.! Since, he is full of fake sincerity, perhaps he should set an independent body to investigate all the dodgy deals that Barisan has made.!
And obviously, the Defence Ministry has reached the terminal stage of the cancer, with the disease spread to every single organ, from head to toe. Cutting any organ is not feasible and only solution is let it die and be replaced by none cancer infected persons.
Talk is free as the saying goes. Zahid talks as if he is Mr Clean. He should come clean with how his Defense Ministry award projects. Why we are paying so much more?
What is your stand on the NFC scandal? You are in government, what are you doing about it? Datuk Ambiga is not an elected MP, so she can only influence people.
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