Double standard MACC ?

Opposition lampoons MACC 'efficiency'
Terence Netto | May 27, 09 2:38pm | malaysiakini

PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim poured scorn on reports that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has already begun investigating claims made by an independent candidate in the Penanti by-election that she was the object of a bribery attempt.

“When it is PKR that is the allegedly offending party, the MACC moves with all deliberate speed,” cracked Salehuddin, in remarks made to Malaysiakini today.

“When PKR reports incidents of bribery and corruption, even if the allegations are contained in a statutory declaration, or the Balkis investigations initiated by the Selangor state government, the MACC moves like it has leg irons attached to it,” he fumed.

“I guess this farce has gone on long enough for us not to treat the whole thing with anything else but contempt,” said Salehuddin, referring to allegations of bribery by former Penang PKR women’s chief, Aminah Abdullah.

“Would that MACC were comparably speedy and efficient on reports that PKR have lodged with the police and with them,” he sighed.

“Last year the MACC were astonishingly speedy when they went after the PKR state reps for Behrang and Changkat Jering, during the Permatang Pauh by-election campaign, for alleged corrupt practices but when the pair jumped into the independents’ pond, the cases against them began dawdling through the criminal justice system.

“When last year a PKR division leader made a statutory declaration alleging a corrupt offer made to him by the then deputy prime minister Najib Razak, with a former deputy minister as facilitator, the matter was conveniently consigned to oblivion,” he charged.

MACC’s blatant double standards

Salehuddin was referring to PKR Ipoh Barat division chief Fauzi Muda who had signed a statutory declaration that Najib offered him RM50 million to engineer at least two defections in Perak last year.

Former deputy defence minister Zainal Abidin Zin later admitted taking Fauzi to meet Najib but denied that any monetary offers were made.

“You are seeing double standards of a type and scale once made famous in countries of a Stalinist mindset. Uncle Joe died fifty six years ago but some of his unwitting legatees are alive and well in Malaysia,” said Salehuddin.

“It smacks of total disrespect for the rakyat. It is an attempt to shore up a government that thinks the people are either stupid or couldn’t be bothered. And yet it is afraid to face the voters of Perak because it knows that not all the people can be fooled all the time.

“It’s sheer desperation on the part of BN and idiocy on the part of MACC while the real offenders are laughing all the way to the bank,” he said.