MACC should do soul-searching why its credibility on war against corruption in high political places is zero and explain why it has failed to land a single shark in the past six years

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should come out of its cushy air-conditioned offices and go to the ground and do a soul-searching why its credibility on the war against corruption in high political places is zero, whether the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal, the MARA property corruption scandal blowing up in Melbourne or the recent Wall Street Journal expose that 1MDB funds were used to bankroll Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s campaign in the 13th general elections.

It is a reflection of the MACC’s utter lack of credibility and impotence as far as fighting corruption in high political places is concerned that 10 days after the Wall Street Journal report (June 19) on electoral abuses and corruption in the 13th General Elections, several NGOs, led by Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0), Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) and Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) had to gather at the MACC to demand action by the anti-corruption agency yesterday.

What have the MACC officials been doing in the past 10 days over the WSJ report?

Just twiddling thumbs?

Have MACC officers called in the officers and personnel from 1MDB, Genting Plantations and Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YRIM) in the past 10 days to begin investigations arising from the Wall Street Journal report?

Has the MACC opened a file to investigate whether Najib as Prime Minister had misused his position and channel funds from 1MDB to bankroll his 13GE campaign?

Or has absolutely nothing been done on the Wall Street Journal report in the past 10 days?

The statement subsequently issued by MACC that it was assisting other agencies investigating 1MDB, which would include WSJ report on 1MDB funds channeled to the BN’s campaign during the 13GE, is a most disgraceful admission of its irrelevance and ineffectiveness, as it shows that in a matter directly involving corruption, the MACC is not even the lead agency but must submit to other enforcement agencies which may have other agendas.

What is holding back MACC from instituting a full corruption inquiry into the Wall Street Journal report of June 19?

Are the MACC officers afraid of stepping on the toes of powerful people in government?

The other part of the MACC statement repeating its call for political funding to be made open and transparency is a mere cop-out to distract attention from the MACC’s failures and abdication of responsibility to combat corruption in high political places.

Is the MACC seriously suggesting unless all political parties, in particular the ruling UMNO and Barisan Nasional, agree to a law to make political funding open and transparent, the MACC is fully justified for its zero record and performance in bringing the “sharks” to book as it can only go after the “ikan bilis’?

MACC should do soul-searching why its credibility on war against corruption in high political places is zero and explain why it has failed to land a single shark in the past six years.