KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — Pulai MP Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub has filed an emergency motion to Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, to debate the issues surrounding the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief's recent stock-trading controversy.
The Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) MP took to Twitter to announce that he had filed the motion under parliamentary Standing Order 18(1) (2), against MACC head honcho, Tan Sri Azam Baki.
“This morning, January 6, 202, on behalf of the people of Malaysia, I took the responsibility of bringing up the issue of the highly suspicious share ownership by the top MACC official. I have sent an emergency motion under order 18 (1) (2) to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker,” Salahuddin tweeted.
In his letter to Azhar, Salahuddin said that the matter must be hastened as it is a matter of public interest, and allowed for debate a day after Parliament's opening on March 1, which will be officiated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
Emergency motions must meet three criteria before being considered for a debate in the August House: They are of public importance, urgent, and on a specific topic.
“This matter has to be expedited to urge the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board (LPPR) to conduct a detailed investigation into the allegation that the MACC chief commissioner owns an excessive amount of shares as reported by mainstream media.
“And this is a matter of public interest to restore the public's confidence in the MACC to prevent corruption, and/or all activities which lead to breach of trust, whereby the government has a responsibility to answer this matter,” Salahuddin said in his motion.
Yesterday, the MACC held a press conference to address allegations about a possible conflict of interest following Azam’s purchase of stocks in 2015.
During the meeting, Azam said that his trading account was used by his brother, and that he did not see anything wrong in this.
The LPPR also vouched for Azam, saying it had a meeting with Azam last November and that there was nothing questionable about his actions.
The board added that the stocks in question had been transferred to Azam’s brother, Nasir Baki, that same year of acquisition in 2015.
On December 14, Sungai Buloh MP R. Sivarasa had filed an urgent motion for the Dewan Rakyat to discuss Azam’s alleged ownership of close to two million shares in a publicly-listed company.
Sivarasa claimed that Azam, as MACC investigation director between 2015 and 2016, became the owner of 930,000 shares in Gets Global Bhd as at April 30, 2015, and a further 1,029,000 shares as at March 31, 2016.
He also claimed Azam, as at March 21, 2016, also owned 2,156,000 warrants in publicly listed Excel Force MSC Bhd while the latter’s younger brother owned 3,728,000 shares in Gets Global.
In a statement today, two members of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSC) on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department rebuked Azam over his statement yesterday that he is not answerable to anyone except the LPPR.
Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong and Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin said they were disappointed and shocked by Azam's remark, after the revelation of him owning shares.
They also urged the PSC on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department to immediately convene a meeting to investigate the matter and summon Azam to give evidence to the committee, to limit the damage to the federal anti-graft agency.
“A civil servant of his status would not be able to afford to buy the shares. His salary certainly does not commensurate with the value of the shares — he has to explain the source of the money used to purchase the shares.
“Whether Azam had satisfied the criteria on asset declaration based on the government circular requiring civil servants to declare their assets, and potential conflict of interest as he will not be able to effectively conduct any investigation on companies that he is a shareholder in,” the duo said.
They also asked the question many have been asking since the press conference yesterday; Why didn't Azam's brother purchase the shares on his own?
“Why is there a need for the brother to buy the shares using Azam's trading account first? The general public do not buy Azam’s explanation as it stands. All these needs answering by Azam. Azam is reminded that the MACC is a creation of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (MACC Act), a statute passed by Parliament.
“He may claim that he is not answerable to anyone else, but we Members of Parliament as lawmakers have the powers to legislate accordingly. We can amend the Act to tighten provisions and deal with any legal loopholes, if any, for the benefit of the people,” they added.
They said that it is also imperative that Azam answers to the PSC, by way of coming clean to the public, and that the transcript of the investigation will be made public, and the “public can then decide whether Azam himself is fit for the job as the No. 1 corruption buster”.
Khoo and Chan also said that while the LPPR exists to conduct its own investigation, it is not meant as a tool to clear MACC officials of corruption allegations.
“We are of the view that the board’s own investigation does not oust the jurisdiction of the PSC to conduct its own investigation and to make recommendations to Parliament to amend the laws accordingly, if necessary. In the absence of a comprehensive explanation and transparency by the MACC commissioner to the public, it will certainly erode the public’s trust in MACC as the institution for combating corruption in the country. MACC’s credibility as an independent body that can effectively combat corruption will certainly be in doubt,” they added.
