Even the Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri is “stunned” that UMNO and BN’s objective in the 15GE is to make Malaysia a “haven for corruption”

Even the Perlis Mufti, Mohd Asri Zain is “stunned” that UMNO and Barisan Nasional’s objective in the 15th General Election is to make Malaysia a “haven for corruption” as stated by the UMNO and Barisan Nasional Chairman, Zahid Hamidi in his speech at the MIC Assembly on Monday.

Mohd Asri tweeted yesterday: “Stunned after hearing how a politician can openly admit (that his political party/coalition) has to win the general election to avoid corruption charges against them. If that happens, this country will become a haven for corruption.” (Terkesima mendengar, bagaimana secara terang orang politik boleh mengaku tujuan untuk menang PRU adalah bagi mengelakkan kes rasuah mereka dibicarakan di mahkamah. Jika itu berlaku, negara ini akan jadi SYURGA RASUAH)

This was after Zahid had alleged that his speech at Monday’s MIC delegates assembly had been “spun” by his opponents.

I am not aware that Mohd Asri comes within Zahid’s category of “opponents” and is powerful proof that Zahid had made a very weak and feeble excuse which could not explain his “brutally frank” admissions in his MIC speech that:

(i) There is not only an UMNO “Court Cluster”, there is an BN “Court Cluster”;

(ii) He named UMNO/BN leaders who are on the “waiting list” of those who could be charged for offences which they had committed – people like UMNO Deputy President Mohamad Hassan, UMNO Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, MCA President Wee Ka Siong, MIC President S.A. Vigneswaran and MIC Deputy President M. Saravanan.

I do not know what are the corruption or other charges which could be brought against Mohamad Hassan, Hishamuddin Hussein, Wee Ka Siong, S. A. Vigneswaran and M Saravanan as only the Police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) would know, but Zahid is in the position of one of the “knowing” parties.

The position is not helped by the deafening four-day silence of the five Barisan Nasional leaders named by Zahid as to be on the “waiting list” to be charged in court.

I had said that Zahid’s MIC speech is the best example that UMNO today is completely different from UMNO in the founding years when it was under the presidency of Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Razak Hussein and Hussein Onn.

In the early days of UMNO when UMNO had no money, Tunku sold his house in Penang to fund the running of UMNO, while Razak Hussein’s “swimming pool” story is now famous where the Prime Minister would not spend public money on building a swimming pool for his family.

Hussein Onn, whose integrity is a household word, had warned UMNO in 1979 that Malaysia will be destroyed if UMNO leaders are “dishonest, untrustworthy and corrupt” and expressed the hope that the Bank Rakyat scandal would be a “bitter lesson to other government institutions and agencies including companies and subsidiaries set up by the Government”.

Have we come close to Hussein Onn’s warning as a the “bitter lesson” of RM100 million Bank Rakyat scandal in 1979 had not worked, and corruption had ballooned to a RM50 billion 1MDB scandal three decades later as well as many other mega scandals – to become in the Perlis Mufti’s words, “a haven for corruption”?

In the early years of UMNO, UMNO leaders asked the Malays and the people to sacrifice for the nation’s future.

After six decades, UMNO leaders are not asking the Malays and the people to vote for UMNO/Barisan Nasional in the 15th General Election to keep UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders out of jail.

Is this going to be fate of Malaysia?

Zahid claimed that his MIC speech had been “spun” by his opponents.

I had suggested that Zahid should allow an independent panel, agreed by Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan, to decide whether Zahid’s MIC speech had been “spun” by his opponents or whether it was a “brutally frank” admission of the criminal liability of UMNO and Barisan Nasional leaders. Zahid’s response is awaited.

Members of the media profession would be significantly qualified to be among the members of such an independent panel.