A claim by minister Nazri Abdul Aziz that Umno members were immune to the country's graft laws may just be the proof that the premier's anti-corruption campaign was on its deathbed.

As such, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang asked if Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agreed with Nazri's remarks, especially when Umno's money politics can be described as the root cause of the rampant corruption in Malaysia.

"Even more important, Abdullah should declare whether he has authorised and endorsed Nazri to declare that Umno members are immune from the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 for their money politics and financial malpractices," said Lim in a statement today.

"Although Nazri said yesterday that he was expressing his own views as the minister in charge of law, his claim has far-reaching implications to Abdullah's campaign against corruption," added Lim.

Yesterday, Nazri, who is the de facto law minister and an Umno Supreme Council member, said that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) cannot investigate cases of political corruption or money politics involving Umno members.

This was because these offences were confined to political parties and not public transgressions, he added.

Nazri said Umno had its own internal mechanism to punish members who were involved in corrupt practices or in money politics.

"But the ACA can't come in because this (money politics) has nothing to do with the public. It does not affect the public in the sense that it does not involve public projects or public funds," he had said.

Differing views

Lim said today that the stand taken by Nazri was in total contrast to that expressed by Abdullah himself and the previous minister in charge of law, Rais Yatim.

In 2001, Abdullah, then the deputy prime minister and the deputy party chief, had invited the ACA to clean the party of corrupt members.

Similarly in 2003, Rais called on Umno to allow the ACA to investigate its leaders alleged to be involved in money politics as it falls within the definition of "corruption" under the Anti-Corruption Act 1997.

The veteran politician also asked Attorney-General Gani Patail to state his legal views on Nazri's view.

PM's pet project

Lim added that all members of Parliament must take a united stand to combat money politics when Parliament resumes its sitting on Monday.

"They should dissociate and denounce Nazri's new-fangled theory to allow corruption to thrive in political parties outside the jurisdiction of the Anti-Corruption Act and ACA."

Right after he took over the leadership of the country in 2003, Abdullah made the fight against corruption as the cornerstone of his new regime.

He promised to keep and lead a clean government and set up the Integrity Institute of Malaysia as a mean to overcome the corruption menace in society.