'Don't torch the cause': Ex-MACC chief slams burning of PM's image

Summary

• Ex-MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad joins the chorus condemning the burning of a caricature of the prime minister by student protesters in Sabah.

• He acknowledges public frustration over high-profile corruption but urged youths to channel their anger into principled and constructive action.

• Dzulkifli stresses that true reform requires integrity and discipline, not sensational stunts that risk undermining the cause itself.

Former MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad has come to the defence of Anwar Ibrahim, lambasting student protesters in Sabah who burned a caricature of the prime minister.

Dzulkifli said while he acknowledges the deep frustrations behind the act, he cannot condone it as it reflected a “troubling erosion of civility”.

He stressed that in struggling for a cause, the ends do not justify the means.

“The fight against corruption must be grounded in values: integrity, wisdom, and discipline. Resorting to extreme acts, even symbolic ones, risks undermining the very cause we champion.

“It shifts focus from substance to sensation, and from justice to justification for suppression,” he said in a statement today.

Dzulkifli also noted that, like many Malaysians, he too feels the “weight of disappointment”, particularly in the handling of corruption cases involving high-profile individuals and political figures, including those from Sabah.

“The rakyat, especially our youth, are tired of promises. They yearn for transparency, accountability, and bold institutional reform.

“Malaysia deserves better, and that begins with how we demand it.”

Reform over rage

Quoting 11th Century Muslim scholar Al-Ghazali, Dzulkifli said the purpose of law and governance is to safeguard religion and ensure the welfare of society.

“Let our efforts be about building - awareness, willpower, institutions - not burning.

“Let us ignite a long-lasting spirit of reform, not flashpoints of rage.

“As citizens committed to justice and clean governance, we must speak truth to power, but do so with dignity,” he emphasised.

He touted “acting honourably” and advocated pursuing reform instead of “shallow spectacles”, and encouraged students to direct their energy to productive pursuits instead of “destructive acts”.

Yesterday, PKR Youth chief Kamil Munim expressed similar sentiments, claiming the burning was not just excessive and rude, but also showed that the protesters had no valid arguments to make.

Kamil, who is also Anwar’s aide at the Finance Ministry, asserted that the act had endangered the protestors and the public while also failing to demonstrate their message.

The burning capped off a student protest against graft in Kota Kinabalu, which lasted from the afternoon on June 21 to 11am, June 22.

The image of the prime minister set aflame carried the text “Madani Pelindung Rasuah Sabah” (Madani Protector of Sabah Corruption).

Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has since said it will lodge a police report over the incident, stressing that it was not involved, either directly or indirectly, in the matter.

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