MP SPEAKS The purchase of a property at grossly inflated prices by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) in Australia, and the raids by Australian Federal Police yesterday is the latest in a series of scandals to rock the country.
An investigation by The Age revealed that RM13.7 million was paid as introduction and consultancy fees to Malaysian government officials and family members for the purchase of a RM65 million apartment block called Dudley House in Melbourne.
The fact that the story was broken by a highly respected Australian newspaper - and largely neglected by our own mainstream media - has brought further shame and disrepute to Malaysia on the international stage.
After the revelations of the 1MDB debacle, Pembinaan PFI, Pembinaan BLT, SRC International and a host of other government-linked companies (GLCs), Malaysians are no longer shocked. It is what they have come to expect from this government.
Mara chairperson Annuar Musa ( photo ) has confirmed that Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal, Najib Abdul Razak and the entire cabinet were involved in the approval process.
Malaysians should not be surprised that these transactions were approved, whether individually or collectively, at the highest levels. Under the best traditions of the Westminster system, they would collectively resign to take responsibility.
Neither should Malaysians be astonished that the prime minister has promised to conduct investigations into the matter. Exactly how the government is to impartially conduct investigations into the allegations when the transactions involve political leaders and officials at the highest level is anybody’s guess.
The mere fact that such property transactions ‘followed procedures’ and secured approvals in no way absolves parties concerned from allegations of abuse of power and/or graft. This is particularly in view of the fact that details and transactions can easily be classified under the Official Secrets Act and hidden from scrutiny.
The Dudley House affair would not have even come to light were it not for the small Australian tradesmen who were owed money and a robust and independent media who chose to undertake investigative journalism into the matter.
For the sake of the country and the people, the never-ending flow of blatant cases of government funds must stop.
Forgotten mathematics genius
I remind Malaysians of promising local talents like Adi Putra Abdul Ghani, the forgotten child mathematics genius, who, despite promises by the federal government, is having to pursue his dreams without government support.
Adi Putra’s dream was to enrol in Monash University - specifically the programs for child geniuses. This is the very same university in which 113 Mara scholars are studying, and for which Dudley House was purchased.
Incidents like this are tragic because they vividly demonstrate that the costs of corruption are not simply the money that is wasted or lost but the lives that could not be impacted.
There is the strong possibility that this emerging Mara property scandal is not an isolated case. In recent years, Felda, the Employees Provident Fund and Tabung Haji, among others, have been busy buying properties overseas.
Annuar also said an internal audit and a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) probe, had commenced several weeks ago and is still ongoing at the moment.
In this light, I urge:
- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission expedite investigations into the Dudley House affair, as well as other questionable acquisitions made by government linked agencies.
- The government to guarantee that action is to be taken to all those found responsible, including those in the highest echelons of the corridors of power, without fear or favour.
- The Auditor-General’s Department to audit all foreign property acquisitions by government-linked agencies to ensure that they are above board and free of unwarranted payments to third parties.
- The Attorney-General’s Chambers to prosecute those found to have broken the law and benefited themselves from public funds.
Mara was established to safeguard the interests of the bumiputra community. The first A in Mara stands for Amanah or Trust. Many in Malaysia, Australia and around the world must be wondering whether the word amanah has any meaning in this country.
We must not allow hard-earned public money to be frittered away through unjustifiable payments, adding to capital outflows; the weakness of the ringgit and the country’s economic woes. It is time the rakyat reminds the government the meaning of accountability (amanah).
NURUL IZZAH ANWAR is Lembah Pantai Member of Parliament, and vice-president and elections director of PKR.
