Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low, MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad and the 20-odd members of the five bodies which monitor the MACC should collectively resign over their dismal failure highlighted by TI CPI 2017 which saw Malaysia plunge to lowest TI CPI ranking in 23 years - 62 out of 180 countries with TPI score of 47/100
What balderdash!
This is the only proper reaction to the ridiculous claim by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Pau Low, that the string of high-profile arrests over the past year is the likely cause for Malaysia’s drop in rankings on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
This is totally contradictory to the assessment by the Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) President, Datuk Akhbar Satar that Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking would have gone lower below No. 62 out of 180 countries “if not because of the MACC aggressiveness in conducting investigation and making arrests to deter corruption in the country”.
The Chief Commissioner of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad came out from “hiding” to say he was “shocked” by the results because it did not reflect MACC’s aggressive approach towards combatting graft.
I am shocked that Dzulkifli is shocked by the TI CPI 2017.
Dzulkifli seemed to think that both the Malaysian and international community are so gullible that they could be misled by the MACC campaign of “shock and awe” of arrests and charges under his tenure, which obediently avoided the “sharks” of corruption but tasked with a special agenda to tar and stain Pakatan Harapan leaders, to believe that the MACC is empowered to combat corruption regardless of rank or station.
Akhbar Satar is right. If not for the MACC’s “shock and awe” tactics of arrests and charges, Malaysia’s TI CPI 2017 would have sunk lower, and be in the company of countries like Bulgaria, South Africa, Vanuatu, Burkina Fako, Lesotho and Tunisia with CPI scores of 42-43/100.
To restore public confidence and MACC credibility in the fight against corruption, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low, MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad and the 20-odd members of the five bodies which monitor the MACC should collectively resign over their dismal failure highlighted by TI CPI 2017 which saw Malaysia plunge to lowest TI CPI ranking in 23 years - 62 out of 180 countries with TIP score of 47/100.
These five bodies are the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board, the Special Committee on Corruption, the Complaints Committee, the Operations Review Panel, and the Corruption Consultation and Prevention Panel.
It is great shame that the Transparency International Malaysia should suffer the shame, dishonour and indignity of two of its Presidents ending up as political mercenaries of the-powers-that-be (TPTB), serving as apologists and defenders of MO1, the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal and Malaysia as a global kleptocracy.
Paul Low resigned as Transparency International Malaysia President in 2013 to be corralled by Malaysia’s first minority Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to join his Cabinet purportedly to promote integrity and fight corruption in Malaysia.
He has found all sorts of excuses and used all stratagems to hang on to his Ministerial position although under his watch as Minister responsible for integrity, Malaysia suffered the infamy and ignominy of a global kleptocracy.
He went along with the conspiracy to sweep the 1MDB scandal, like all other mega-corruption scandals, whether FELDA, MARA or Tabung Haji, under the carpet.
Under his watch, Malaysia’s TI CPI plunged 12 notches from 50th ranking in 2014 to 62nd ranking in 2017, while the CPI score plunged from 52/100 in 2014 to 47/100 in 2017.
What possible excuses can Paul Low conjure to hang on to the Ministerial post on integrity?
It would appear that the longer he continues as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of integrity, the more corrupt Malaysia corrupt becomes.
What has happened to all the boast of Malaysia being ranked among the 30 top least corrupt nations by 2020, when the shoreline of this target is getting further and further?
Would Paul Low dare to present the views of the President of TI Malaysia, Akhbar Satar to next Wednesday’s Cabinet, that the issues surrounding 1MDB Malaysia and the RM2.6 billion donation, FELDA scandal, and the Sabah Water scandal; the recent conviction of a whistle blower, MP Rafizi Ramli, on the RM250 million NFC (National Feedlot Corporation) “cow-condo” scandal case were amongst the reasons why Malaysia slipped seven notches in the ranking of TI CPI 2017 – and that the TI CPI 2017 should be Malaysia’s “wake-up call” which should not be explained away just like so many other warning signs?
The same applies to the Chief Commissioner, Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad.
Dzulkifli had said that MACC had set a three-year deadline for Malaysia to move high up the TI CPI.
It would appear that the MACC Chief Commissioner had not expected Malaysia’s TI CPI to improve in the next three years, but did he expect a plunge to the lowest point of 62 out of 180 countries?
He has even now come up with the idea of MACC creating its own corruption index, which would have no credibility except in UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
I said yesterday China and Indonesia are poised to overtake Malaysia in the TI CPI series if these two countries improve their TI CPI ranking and score at their pace in the past 23 years, while Malaysia stagnates, with China overtaking Malaysia in eight years’ time in 2015 and Indonesia in 14 years’ time in 2031.
China and Indonesia would overtake Malaysia in an even shorter period if Malaysia continues to regress, as happened during the nine-year premiership of Najib.
What is the MACC doing with regard to this shocking possibility?
Before the establishment of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in 2009, Malaysia scored the best TI CPI ranking of 23 under premiership of Tun Dr. Mahathir and No. 39 under Tun Abdullah Badawi, as compared to the best TI CPI ranking of No. 50 under Najib; with the worst TI CPI ranking of No. 37 under Mahathir and No. 47 under Abdullah as compared to No. 62 under Najib.
In these circumstances, how can the MACC have any credibility if the 20-odd members of the five supervising committees of MACC continue in office, when it is very clear that they had failed abysmally in their entrusted assignments?