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Key Highlights
DAP’s compass repolarised - back to true north?
Shamsul exits smiling, Albert exits swinging
Extra-judicial killing recorded on audio?
DAP’s compass repolarised - back to true north?
DAP’s trouncing in the Sabah state election appears to have restored the correct magnetic orientation of the party’s compass, which critics claim has been pointing in all directions but north since it became part of the Madani administration.
After the party’s central leadership vowed to accelerate the promised reforms over the next six months, statements have been coming fast and hard.
Amid this newfound fervour - which harkens back to the DAP of old - the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) has urged the party to prioritise anti-corruption reforms, while cautioning that it must not be all talk without action.
It highlighted several key reforms that remain incomplete or delayed, including the separation of the attorney-general and public prosecutor roles, restructuring the MACC, and enacting new legislation such as the Freedom of Information Act and the Political Financing Act.
While some measures have been introduced, the C4 Center noted that their implementation has largely been ineffective. Among these, the Government Procurement Act 2025 was criticised for concentrating power in the hands of the finance minister, while amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 were said to limit disclosure channels exclusively to government agencies.
The C4 Center also condemned what it described as the government’s reluctance to pursue high-profile corruption cases, warning that this approach has only heightened public scepticism.
Now the question is whether DAP can transmit revived zeal to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim?
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Shamsul exits smiling, Albert exits swinging
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s former senior political aide, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, and businessperson Albert Tei were each slapped with four charges for receiving and giving bribes in connection with the Sabah mining scandal.
Shamsul emerged from the court complex wearing a smile, telling reporters that he will prove his innocence. Tei, on the other hand, took a more combative stance, demanding answers from Anwar.
He questioned the seizure of CCTV recordings from his house on Nov 28 - the day he was arrested by armed MACC officers wearing vests and balaclavas - as well as incidents that allegedly occurred before and during the raid.
Tei also pressed Anwar to explain why Shamsul had allegedly told him that the recordings implicating numerous Sabah politicians were ordered by the prime minister.
“I am giving you (Anwar) seven days to answer all my demands. If you fail to respond, you must resign,” stressed Tei, ending his press conference with chants of “Reformati!” (reform is dead), mocking Anwar’s signature “Reformasi” slogan.
Previously, Tei’s wife alleged that the arresting officers had pointed guns at both her and her husband during the arrest, prompting widespread condemnation over the perceived excessive use of force.
However, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki - himself under scrutiny in the scandal - denied the allegation.
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Extra-judicial killing recorded on audio?
For decades, the official line has been unwavering: “We ordered them to stop. They refused, attacked us, and left our officers no choice but to open fire - killing all suspects.”
Civil society groups, however, have long accused the police of carrying out extra-judicial killings.
That same suspicion has resurfaced following the fatal shooting of three suspected robbers in Malacca last month. But this time, a chilling twist emerges: an audio recording of a phone call between one of the suspects and his wife just before his death.
The woman said that based on the recording last Monday (Nov 24), the three men could be heard cooperating with the police as they were being detained.
She also said the recording did not show the victims behaving in a threatening manner as alleged.
Following the disclosure, Bukit Aman’s federal police headquarters announced an investigation, pledging fairness. However, calls for an independent inquiry are growing louder, and the families’ lawyer has demanded that the officers involved be charged with murder.
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