(Petaling Jaya, Sunday): DAP calls for Royal Commission of Inquiry into Corruption, Cronyism and Nepotism involving the top political leadership in the country where the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad should produce proof of his allegation yesterday against "a former national leader" for having cronies who have deposits amounting to RM230 million.
Mahathir alleged at the Kubang Pasu Umno division delegates meeting that "When he had the power, the former leader made his friends millionaires until they could travel round the world and live in luxury overseas for months". He also made the very serious allegation that the money was used by the cronies to pay rioters in the federal capital.
However, when Mahathir later said that he could not reveal the identities of the cronies, the question immediately came to mind as to whether the Prime Minister was misusing the powers of his office and the control the government exercised over the local mass media to character-assassinate his opponents without having to furnish any proof or evidence.
It is also most unfortunate that the Prime Minister had made the serious allegation about the "paying of rioters in the federal capital", as a person holding such a high office should not spread rumours without full and proper substantiation - especially as there are considerable evidence that many of the crowd situations should never have been allowed to go out-of-hand if the police had exercised patience and tact when no law-and-order threats had been posed.
The other question which comes to public mind is that if the Prime Minister could make a RM230 million allegation against the cronies of "a former national leader", what would be the allegations that could be hurled against cronies of the incumbent - 100 or even more times this figure taking it to RM23 billion or or even greater astronomical figures?
Mahathir seems to have decided to use the protection of his high office to descend to the level of what government leaders had condemned as the worst of the Internet culture which made irresponsible and scurrilous attacks on government leaders - which is most unbecoming of the occupant of the highest elective office in the land.
Let Mahathir prove that nobody in the administration has anything to hide as far as corruption, cronyism and nepotism are concerned, and that the government is prepared to allow the spotlight of public scutiny to be cast on this issue, whether concerning those in power or in opposition, by the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry on Corruption, Cronyism and Nepotism.
(2/5/99)