No power - a pathetic excuse from MACC
YOURSAY ‘Having read section 36 of the MACC Act 2009, I am shocked that the panel requires more power to investigate Riza and Rosmah.’
MACC wants power to probe cases like Rosmah's son
Pemerhati: Malaysia since Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time has been a false democracy or an authoritarian or dictatorial regime.
Dictatorial regimes come in many variations. Some dictators like Saddam Hussein of Iraq or Hafez Assad of Syria controlled everything in the country and they ruthlessly and openly executed thousands whom they suspected of opposing them.
But the Malaysian dictators like Mahathir and Najib also control enforcement agencies (e.g. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and the judiciary, but they have kept executions to the minimum (e.g. the ex-police chief’s almost fatal assault on former DPM Anwar Ibrahim and the attempt to poison him with arsenic in prison and the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu).
Instead they imprison their opponents or keep them busy with trumped-up charges with the help of their lackeys in the public service.
Umno has set up a massive fraudulent system of holding elections which will enable them to win even if they get less than 40 percent of the popular vote. This is because of massive and unfair gerrymandering.
Kim Quek: MACC has no power to investigate the PM’s stepson who splashes hundreds of millions without such commensurate income? What a pathetic excuse from the MACC which claims to be on par with the best in the world, including the famed ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) of Hong Kong.
Section 29 (3) of the MACC Act 2009 empowers MACC to investigate anyone - including the PM - suspected to have breached the Act, with or without a third party report.
Once such an investigation has started, section 36 (1) further empowers MACC to command the suspected person, as well as his relative or associate or any other person deemed necessary by MACC, to furnish under oath all relevant details of all his assets and other relevant information including all his sources of income.
You know what ICAC would have done? It would have gotten the answer by now as to whether the report on PM’s son Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz's RM110 million purchase of condo in New York, and his financing of the US$100 million Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ is true.
Instead of whining that you have no power, MACC, why don’t you start the ball rolling by doing just that; and follow up with an interview with Riza, PM and his wife? That surely will be immensely more re-assuring that you are at least not completely impotent when faced with corruption by the ruling elite.
ACR: Having read section 36 of the MACC Act 2009 , I am shocked that the commission requires more power than already conferred on it by the law to investigate Riza and Rosmah.
SMC77: What a joke. We all know the law enforcement agencies in Malaysia do not follow law. Now, the MACC has suddenly said the law doesn't allow them to probe the allegation. Do you really think we are retard?
Wira: MACC, what is this? Investigating possession of property beyond one's means is not entirely part of MACC's (current) function? How do you catch corrupt officials? Only through marked notes?
Maybe those laws were formulated to sanitise a corrupt Umno with the connivance of mosquito parties like MCA, MIC and Gerakan.
Cala: As many Malaysiakini readers have commented, how come the poor Teoh Beng Hock (TBH) was brought into Selangor MACC office on the suspicion that something irregular had happened on the purchase of RM2,400 worth of flags for Merdeka celebration?
And there, TBH was subjected to an overnight "ruthless and aggressive" interogation until he was found dead. So Malaysia has two sets of law. For an ordinary man on the street, at the slightest suspicion he could be killed.
Malaysia Truly Asia: Be careful what you ask for as then you will open the floodgates for MACC to ask anyone they feel like it to explain their wealth.
Many in opposition or all will be asked to explain their wealth, and this will then be turned into a ‘why us’ scenario . If there is evidence of graft, report it, don't just accuse and think that it will be investigated.
CiViC: Malaysia Truly Asia, get your facts right. Firstly, if there are hard evidence of graft, the next thing to do is to arrest and not investigate.
MACC's job is to investigate, not just to prove someone guilty, but may also to prove his/her innocence. Investigation does not equate to harassment, it's just MACC's job when there's suspicion, of which is absolutely clear here that Rosmah's son in no logical way can afford it. Now do you understand?
Well Thats Fantastic: Any person living in Malaysia under Malaysian law can at any time be asked to justify their assets and income, I believe that is tax law?
However in this case we have evidence produced through foreign media and I'm sure other legal documents that could be attained through proper investigation. If there is any hint of corruption or other foul play, the MACC should be able to find out about it without the subject ever needing to know (zero harassment).
Bank Negara surely has a list of massive transactions that they can't account for, start there maybe?
Clever Voter: Given these revelations, one can blame the public for not trusting any one of them in government. MACC as agent of state was created to protect the state in power not public interest. It will never be neutral, and neither it is expected to go against the masters.
Until that changes, we will continue to live in a contradictory world, where we have two sets of laws, one to ensure public behave, and second to ring fence the state and its agents from any unnecessary intrusions or interruptions.
HC: A beacon of steadfast transparency and independence is what the MACC is no where near in demonstrating. The formidable number of cases where BN politicians (and cronies) have gotten away with criminal activity (and potentially murder in some cases) speaks for it self.
So long as the MACC is beholden to its BN masters, there can never be any independence, convictions or both.
Anonymous #79199503: Upon appointment as MACC chief, Abu Kassim had said that the rakyat could kick his ass if he failed to perform. Years has passed and we are waiting to kick Abu Kassim's ass.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .
For more news and views that matter, subscribe and support independent media for only RM0.36 sen a day:
Subscribe now