COMMENT Several years ago, a ‘pakcik’ at a stall near my house pointed to the news flashes on Buletin Utama while talking with me, and asked: “See what kind of values we are passing on to our next generation!”

He was referring to how, during the lead-up to the last general election, a group of politically-motivated individuals were tearing up some posters in front of the television camera. That was during the heat of the general election.

Today, I am seeing a different set of problems. Based on the latest statements by the special operations division director of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), Bahri Mohamad Zain, it appears to me that we are fast descending into becoming a nation that no longer knows how to differentiate white from the black, and vice-versa.

What is happening?

Bahri’s team was working round-the-clock to investigate SRC International Sdn Bhd “day and night since fasting month”.

The former 1MDB subsidiary came under the spotlight when exposes were made that RM42 million had ended up in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s bank accounts between late last year and February this year.

Instead of pursuing the main culprit, they are now being hunted down. Bahri ( photo ) and his team have become the victim of a counter-investigation into the so-called ‘criminal leak’ of a draft charge sheet purportedly for Najib with regard to the SRC case.

The present attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had dismissed that the charge sheet was false, but DAP’s Tony Pua has asked how can then could it be a “criminal leak”?

Meanwhile, Bahri’s men have been ‘arrested’ , but inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar calls it differently; at the very least, the MACC investigators are being hindered from carrying out their task, after certain documents and laptops belonging to the team had been confiscated by the police.

Bahri is quoted as saying that the police actions have affected their probe into SRC International, which is in violation of Section 48 of the MACC Act.

From the perspectives of the rakyat, I personally wonder what is happening to our nation. Are we becoming morally corrupt and bankrupt at the same time? Do we no longer have a conscience to help us to differentiate between right and wrong? What legacy do we want to leave to our children and future generations of Malaysians? Most of us are old, and there is little that we can do. It is ultimately the younger generation of Malaysians who would have to stand up and be counted.

Investigators now being hunted and smeared

There are also attempts by certain unknown parties trying to try to smear the reputation of investigators such as Bank Negara governor Zeti Aziz ( photo ) and her deputy Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus, MACC’s deputy chief commissioner (operations) Mohd Shukri Abdull, Sarawak Repor t portal owner Clare Rewcastle-Brown, The Edge media owner Tong Kooi Ong and its publisher Ho Kay Tat.

Strangely, an (apparently partisan) portal has named the press secretary of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Sufi Yusof as one of the 13 alleged conspirators, but chose not to mention the former prime minister himself. This is probably because of the obvious fear that it would cause huge repercussions.

What I see is that suddenly the graft-busters have become the victims and being accused of conspiring. They become the ‘hunted’ under a section of the law that ironically should be used against those who try to remain in the corridors of power despite losing the people’s support.

In the same blog which is currently being ‘built up’ to look like another whistleblower site, even the brother of Najib, Nazir Abdul Razak, has come under attack. In short, anyone who is a critic of the present administration becomes a victim of smear campaign.

I suspect soon, the site will be given its prominence by certain parties and appear to be the whistleblower website that all Malaysians look up to. I am told it is not only one site, but several in the offing.

The attempts are obvious - to turn white into black and black into grey.

Complaining about corruption

Malaysians are always complaining that corruption has become part of our culture. It is not true that nothing can be done to purge the corrupt in our corridors of power.

The nation is in its rebirth pangs. As we hope to see a new Malaysia emerging, and becoming strong and competitive globally, what is really comforting is that in Malaysia, we still have many like Bahri and his men.

I quote Bahri, who said: “You may have (political) powers, but I have Allah.” With Bahri, I stand. Will you do the same? It is now or never.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.