KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 ― Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today reminded the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to not solely focus on digging up dirt on the former administration, but also monitor members in the current government.
The Port Dickson MP said that this was also stressed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his opening speech, and cautioned that corruption will see no end, if this was not done.
“In the parliament caucus for governance and reform, we invited Tan Sri Abu Kassim (Mohamed) to inform to him clearly, but we also stressed to him what is needed is not to just unveil what is seen as the past mistakes.
Abu Kassim was previously the chief commissioner of the MACC, who was appointed to head the newly formed National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC) after Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over Putrajaya.
“That must go on; 1MDB issues, Felda issues and all that, but what was said in the opening speech of the prime minister and stressed in the caucus, is for MACC to also monitor the current administration, regardless if they are ministers, deputy ministers, government officers, the private sector and MPs.
“If this governance is not done sternly, and we are only fixated in looking at the past, then we are worried that this problem will never end,” Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat, in debating the King’s address.
Earlier, Anwar had also raised the issue of alleged judicial misconduct raised by Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer in his 63-page affidavit, and pointed to the importance of having credible panel members onboard the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe the judge’s claims.
“In supporting this move, I want to say that the effectiveness of the RCI lies in the selection of panel members who are highly credible, independent and have a wide duty scope, because the judiciary is the pinnacle of the constitution and justice in the nation,” he said, adding that one of PH’s manifesto pledges was to reinstate full public confidence in the judiciary.
Anwar pointed to the accusation made by Hamid Sultan on the alleged tainted integrity of the judiciary to also be deeply worrying.
Last month, Putrajaya confirmed that an RCI will be formed to investigate recent allegations of misconduct by judges and interference in court judgments, which have been viewed to be the country’s latest judicial crisis.
However, it is yet to be set up.
Hamid Sultan, had in his explosive affidavit regarding the judiciary, pointed to alleged judicial interference in relation to a sedition case involving the late veteran lawyer and lawmaker, Karpal Singh.
Hamid Sultan had alleged that a Court of Appeal panel had initially arrived at a decision to allow Karpal’s appeal and acquit him, but claimed that a top judge purportedly directed the panel to dismiss the appeal and which resulted in Karpal’s conviction being affirmed.
