KUCHING, Sept 12 — Sarawakian members of Parliament (MPs) should stand united with Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman after he courted controversy for quitting the government bloc in Parliament, said social activist Voon Shiak Ni.
Syed Saddiq, who is Muar MP, had attracted brickbat for his decision after publicly announcing his disapproval for the dropping of corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Voon said Syed Saddiq should be credited for his political campaign that was defined by a clear commitment to integrity, anti-corruption and good governance.
“In a world where political integrity is often overshadowed by pragmatism, this time around, Syed Saddiq from Muda, has indeed taken the courageous move to speak out,” said Voon in a statement.
The social activist said the country was at a crossroads now with the government’s decision to drop charges against Ahmad Zahid despite the court establishing a prima facie case in all his 47 charges.
“There is no precedent for withdrawing a case against a defendant at this late stage of a criminal trial. In fact, the trial judge noted that it was a waste of public funds after proceedings with 99 witnesses called,” said Voon.
She said Syed Saddiq’s stance to quit the government bloc had been ridiculed by some as ‘rude and childish’, and failing to grasp the pragmatism behind the government’s move.
“However, these detractors ignore the fact that, in the realm of basic civil morality, there’s no such thing as a ‘good wrong’ or a ‘bad wrong’. Wrong is wrong, plain and simple,” she stressed.
Voon said public leaders should be held to the highest moral standards as they would be judged by their adherence to these principles.
She also pointed out MPs from Sarawak need to speak up and not let the case of Zahid Hamidi open the floodgates for allegedly corrupt politicians to walk free.
After quitting the government bloc, Syed Saddiq said he would now function as a third force in Parliament to keep the government in check but remains supportive of constitutional and institutional reforms. — Borneo Post Online
