Pakatan reps call BN man’s graft charge a MACC gimmick

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah San
Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers in Parliament applauded today Umno Sabak Bernam MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakri's graft charge but stressed that just one case would not help clean up the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) tainted reputation.
They claimed that there were several highly-controversial BN government business deals as cases the MACC should prioritise for prosecution; from the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project to the Defence Ministry's submarine and Sukhoi fighter jet purchases and the state-owned Perwaja Steel corporation calamity.

By charging together politicians from both BN and PR, the MACC appears to be giving the impression that it is even-handed. But DAP Parliamentary leader and Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang believes that MACC had a long way to go to convince the public that it was not bias. “I think the action by the MACC, although from the MACC point of view is unprecedented, they still have a long way to go to convince Malaysians that it is indeed on an all out war against corruption and that it is single-minded and not playing the game of being the despot of the BN and Umno against PR.

"The impression or focus is on very trivial items when grand corruptions have not been dealt with,” he said.

Kuala Selangor PAS MP Dr Dzulkefli Ahmad added that Abdul Rahman’s graft charge was nothing spectacular.

“We do not take any pleasure in criticizing the government, we are doing it for a better solution and time will tell if all is done without selective prosecution. That should be the way. There is nothing spectacular about it, that should be the order,” he said.

Balik Pulau PKR MP Yusmadi Yusoff also agreed the move was an act of public relations by MACC to improve its image.

“It is purely an act of public relations by MACC after being cornered by the opposition about their reputation and credibility.

“It is their desperate attempt to bring back their reputation but to bring back their reputation they must charge a real crime like in the V.K. Lingam case, where they say they have no evidence,” he said.