A Sarawak PKR leader expects a repeat of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s experience in ‘Ops Gergaji’, launched by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to combat illegal logging in the state.

 

Regarded as a clean politician, the former prime minister, affectionately known as Pak Lah, promised to battle corruption when he took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2003.

 

However, Sarawak PKR’s information chief Vernon Aji Kedit ( photo ) said Abdullah fell short of the people’s expectations.

 

“Pak Lah had some people investigated for corruption just before GE11 and this generated a feel-good euphoria in the country that Malaysia was, finally, moving in the right direction.

 

“After his landslide victory, the investigations showed no wrongdoing and the investigated parties got off, which is why I can’t help but feel a certain deja vu with the current case in Sarawak.

 

“Is this another window dressing by BN to divert attention away from the real bread-and-butter issues plaguing the people and create a false sense of reform?" Vernon asked Malaysiakini .

 

Vernon also poured scorn on MACC’s track record and claimed that Sarawakians have become desensitised to news of such investigations.

 

“One small investigation initiated by MACC isn’t going to change our view. One swallow does not make a summer.

 

“Public confidence in MACC will not be restored until the big fishes have been convicted,” Vernon added.

 

MACC on Tuesday launched an operation against illegal loggers in Sarawak, six months after Chief Minister Adenan Satem’s warning to the timber industry.

 

Codenamed ' Ops Gergaji ', it saw the bank accounts of 405 companies, valued at RM600 million, frozen and more than 1,570 logs seized as of Thursday.

 

Yesterday, MACC froze the bank account of a state assistant minister, which allegedly contained up to RM4 million in deposits, and is investigating him for corruption.

 

‘Iceberg tip size of Mt Kinabalu’

 

Vernon said that although Sarawak PKR welcomed the probe, it was merely scratching the surface.

 

"The state BN’s move initiated by Adenan is in the right direction in dealing with corruption in the logging sector. It is a start.

 

"Nevertheless, Adenan is only scratching the surface of a very dirty can of worms. We are just seeing the first few centimetres of the tip of an iceberg the size of Mount Kinabalu (Southeast Asia's tallest mountain).

 

"Corruption is a massive problem in Sarawak and Adenan needs to go the full nine yards and not just the first nine inches in order to convince us," he said.

 

Meanwhile DAP State chief Chong Cheng Jien ( photo ) said the staggering amount of money in the assistant minister’s bank account is proof that the entire Sarawak cabinet should declare their assets to the public.

 

The practice of only disclosing their finances to the chief minister is not enough.

 

“Chief ministers come and go, but the system will remain for a long time. No matter how one looks at it, RM4 million cash in a bank account is a lot of money for an assistant minister.

 

“I am sure the person under investigation is not alone. It is likely that many of his colleagues will have similar amounts, if not more,” Chong added.